Montcalm County, Michigan Housing Market

In Montcalm County, Michigan, the median home value is $185,500, with a median monthly rent of $869. This places Montcalm County at #1564 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #37 within Michigan.

Median Home Value $185,500
Median Rent $869/mo
Owner Occupancy 83.1%
Price/Rent Ratio 17.8

📈 Price Trend (2017 → 2024)

📊 Recent Market Momentum (FHFA HPI)

FHFA House Price Index — All-Transactions, Annual (2000 = 100) · Latest: 2025

💡 Year-over-Year Trend: Home prices in Montcalm County rose +4.5% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

13,239
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $925
  • Establishments: 1,056
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

201
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 196
  • Multi-family: 5
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+1056
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 25,595 (avg $58,448)
  • Outflow: 24,539 (avg $58,225)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 7 active ZIP codes in Montcalm County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 48818 218.9 -18.23% 2025
2 48891 209.8 -11.52% 2025
3 49329 257.2 +7.87% 2025
4 48888 266.5 +0.99% 2025
5 49339 242.6 +7.16% 2025
6 48884 239.2 +4.08% 2025
7 49322 210.6 +12.95% 2022

Source: FHFA HPI for Five-Digit ZIP Codes (All-Transactions Index, 2000 = 100).
This product uses FHFA Data but is neither endorsed nor certified by FHFA.

How Montcalm County Compares

MetricMontcalm CountyMichigan AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $185,500 $197,292 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $869 $905 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 83.1% 80.2% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 17.8 17.9 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Montcalm County is 6.0% below the Michigan state average and 18.5% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $869/month is 4.0% below the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 17.8, the buy-vs-rent decision in Montcalm County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Montcalm County has an owner-occupancy rate of 83.1%, compared to 80.2% in Michigan and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more homeowner-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Menard County Illinois $185,500 $885
Murray County Minnesota $185,400 $810
Burke County North Carolina $185,400 $884
Tuscarawas County Ohio $185,400 $908
Washington County Ohio $185,600 $852

Other Counties in Michigan

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Newaygo County $186,700 $904 86.5%
Genesee County $182,400 $989 70.7%
Manistee County $182,200 $842 85.8%
Kalkaska County $188,900 $853 88.2%
Oceana County $190,100 $759 84.5%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates (2017–2024). Variables: B25077 (Median Home Value), B25064 (Median Gross Rent), B25003 (Tenure). Data collected on 2026-10-14. The price-to-rent ratio is calculated as Median Home Value ÷ (Median Monthly Rent × 12).