How much will Section 8 pay for rent in Ottawa County?

Up to the housing authority's payment standard, which it sets between 90% and 110% of FMR. For a two-bedroom that's $1,391 to $1,701. The voucher covers the gap between that standard and about 30% of the tenant's income, and it never pays more than the unit would rent for without a voucher.

Why does my ZIP code show a different Fair Market Rent than Ottawa County?

HUD publishes a second set of numbers, Small Area FMRs, for individual ZIP codes. In Ottawa those run from $1,370 to $1,700 for a two-bedroom. Housing authorities in metros HUD has designated for Small Area FMRs use the ZIP rate. The rest use the county rate. Your PHA can tell you which one applies.

When do the next Fair Market Rents for Ottawa County come out?

HUD usually publishes the new fiscal year's rates in late August or September, and they take effect October 1. This page updates as soon as the new Michigan figures are loaded.

HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Fair Market Rent in Ottawa County, Michigan (FY 2027)

HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Ottawa County is $1,546 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.

Two-bedroom FMR

$1,546

+1.8% from FY 2026

Payment standard

$1,391–$1,701

90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom

Income to afford

$61,840

a year, with rent at 30% of income

Rank in Michigan

3rd of 83

by two-bedroom FMR, highest first

FY 2027 Fair Market Rents

Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.

Bedrooms	FMR	Payment standard	Income needed	Hourly wage	vs FY 2026
Studio	$1,077	$969–$1,185	$43,080	$20.71/hr	+2.9%
1 bedroom	$1,357	$1,221–$1,493	$54,280	$26.10/hr	+1.8%
2 bedroom	$1,546	$1,391–$1,701	$61,840	$29.73/hr	+1.8%
3 bedroom	$1,947	$1,752–$2,142	$77,880	$37.44/hr	+0.9%
4 bedroom	$2,306	$2,075–$2,537	$92,240	$44.35/hr	+2.2%

Five to eight bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)

HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.

Bedrooms	Estimated FMR	Payment standard
5 bedroom Estimate	$2,652	$2,387–$2,917
6 bedroom Estimate	$2,998	$2,698–$3,298
7 bedroom Estimate	$3,344	$3,010–$3,678
8 bedroom Estimate	$3,690	$3,321–$4,059

Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov

Market check

Two-bedrooms in Grand Rapids are asking $1,450. HUD says $1,546.

That's 6% below the county FMR. Median asking rent across 11 Grand Rapids ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.

Grand Rapids rents by ZIP code Section 8 vs market rent, 65 metros

No card needed

What a voucher pays here

The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in Ottawa somewhere between $1,391 and $1,701. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.

$1,546 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $61,840 a year. Put another way, $30 an hour full time.

Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.

Monthly household income	Tenant pays (30%)	Voucher pays at 90%$1,391	Voucher pays at 100%$1,546	Voucher pays at 110%$1,701
$2,500	$750	$641	$796	$951
$4,000	$1,200	$191	$346	$501

Run your own numbers in the Section 8 rent calculator

Rate history

The two-bedroom rate went up 2% from FY 2026 ($1,519) to FY 2027 ($1,546). Since FY 2020 it's up 85% in total, about 9.2% a year. The Michigan median moved up 5% over the same year.

Fiscal year	Studio	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR	2BR change
FY 2020	$714	$735	$837	$1,183	$1,325	—
FY 2021	$803	$822	$937	$1,305	$1,435	+11.9%
FY 2022	$814	$852	$971	$1,329	$1,381	+3.6%
FY 2023	$904	$1,016	$1,148	$1,532	$1,588	+18.2%
FY 2024	$931	$1,115	$1,260	$1,665	$1,775	+9.8%
FY 2025	$953	$1,197	$1,363	$1,750	$1,990	+8.2%
FY 2026	$1,047	$1,333	$1,519	$1,930	$2,256	+11.4%
FY 2027In effect	$1,077	$1,357	$1,546	$1,947	$2,306	+1.8%

About this rate

Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Ottawa, that runs from $1,077 for a studio up to $2,306 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.

Ottawa is its own HUD metro area (Holland-Grand Haven, MI), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.

Among Michigan's 83 counties, Ottawa ranks 3rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 42% above the state median of $1,085 and about 45% above the national median county at $1,063. About 301,203 people live here, 7th in the state.

Live asking rents in Grand Rapids

The county FMR next to what landlords are asking in Grand Rapids right now

Rates by ZIP code

Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,370 in 49404 (Coopersville) and $1,700 in 49401 (Allendale), with the 19 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.

ZIP	City	2BR rate	vs county
49401	Allendale	$1,700	+10.0%
49403	Conklin	$1,380	-10.7%
49404	Coopersville	$1,370	-11.4%
49409	Ferrysburg	$1,590	+2.8%
49417	Grand Haven	$1,480	-4.3%
49422	Holland	$1,550	+0.3%
49423	Holland	$1,530	-1.0%
49424	Holland	$1,530	-1.0%
49426	Hudsonville	$1,660	+7.4%
49427	Jamestown	$1,546County rate	—
49428	Jenison	$1,620	+4.8%
49429	Jenison	$1,550	+0.3%
49430	Lamont	$1,370	-11.4%
49434	Macatawa	$1,530	-1.0%
49435	Marne	$1,380	-10.7%
49448	Nunica	$1,370	-11.4%
49456	Spring Lake	$1,590	+2.8%
49460	West Olive	$1,660	+7.4%
49464	Zeeland	$1,370	-11.4%
49534	Grand Rapids	$1,600	+3.5%

Nearby counties

Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Ottawa.

Kent County

21 mi · 663,150 people

$1,630

+5%

Allegan County

25 mi · 121,456 people

$1,296

-16%

Muskegon County

25 mi · 175,961 people

$1,285

-17%

Newaygo County

41 mi · 50,792 people

$1,028

-34%

Barry County

43 mi · 63,409 people

$1,362

-12%

Van Buren County

45 mi · 75,795 people

$1,040

-33%

Ionia County

48 mi · 66,574 people

$1,238

-20%

Montcalm County

49 mi · 67,816 people

$1,181

-24%

Questions people ask

$1,546 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,077 for a studio, $1,357 for one bedroom, $1,947 for three and $2,306 for four.

Tools for this county

All Michigan counties All states

Fair Market Rent lookup

Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count

Section 8 rent calculator

Payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent

What is Fair Market Rent?

How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords

Rent affordability calculator

The income a household needs for a given rent