St. Joseph County, Michigan Housing Market

In St. Joseph County, Michigan, the median home value is $178,300, with a median monthly rent of $849. This places St. Joseph County at #1664 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #42 within Michigan.

Median Home Value $178,300
Median Rent $849/mo
Owner Occupancy 76.1%
Price/Rent Ratio 17.5

📈 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 St. Joseph County rose +7.2% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

18,204
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $1,078
  • Establishments: 2,255
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

240
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 142
  • Multi-family: 98
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+930
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 24,540 (avg $68,159)
  • Outflow: 23,610 (avg $68,045)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 2 active ZIP codes in St. Joseph County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 49032 216.6 +2.94% 2025
2 49091 217.8 +8.51% 2025

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 St. Joseph County Compares

MetricSt. Joseph CountyMichigan AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $178,300 $197,292 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $849 $905 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 76.1% 80.2% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 17.5 17.9 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in St. Joseph County is 9.6% below the Michigan state average and 21.7% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $849/month is 6.2% below the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 17.5, the buy-vs-rent decision in St. Joseph County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

St. Joseph County has an owner-occupancy rate of 76.1%, 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
Jackson County Indiana $178,300 $1,004
Adams County Indiana $178,400 $833
Gallatin County Kentucky $178,200 $832
Madison County Arkansas $178,100 $729
Richmond County Georgia $178,500 $1,141

Other Counties in Michigan

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Wayne County $178,500 $1,132 64.8%
Mecosta County $178,900 $934 76.9%
Alger County $176,200 $714 86.3%
Hillsdale County $176,100 $832 82.0%
Mackinac County $174,500 $760 77.9%

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).