Housing data for Buena Vista, MI
Buena Vista, MI has an estimated 5,798 residents and 2,926 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Saginaw County.
27.7% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $906 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 5,798 (±372)
- Housing units
- 2,926 (±352)
- Households that rent
- 27.7%
- Median gross rent
- $906
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −7.0%
What stands out in Buena Vista
Median home value: $62,000 (±$8,960) in Buena Vista, lower than in Saginaw County ($152,800).
Households without a vehicle: 13.5% (±6.0 points) in Buena Vista, higher than in Saginaw County (7.0%).
Median real estate taxes: $1,355 (±$315) in Buena Vista, lower than in Saginaw County ($2,284).
Median household income: $41,999 (±$7,125) in Buena Vista, lower than in Saginaw County ($60,622).
- Home values in Buena Vista
- Commute and cars in Buena Vista
- Property taxes in Buena Vista
- Income and affordability in Buena Vista
Housing in Buena Vista at a glance
- Median rent: $906 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $951 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 70.5% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 27.7% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $41,999 median household income
- Home values: $62,000 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $847 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,355 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 15.7% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 57.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 72.7% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 26.0% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 79.1% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 20.2 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −7.0% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 12.1% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 7.7% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Buena Vista against Saginaw County, its state and the nation
| Buena Vista | Saginaw County | Michigan | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 5,798 (±372) | 188,665 (exact) | 10,077,761 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 2,926 (±352) | 86,208 (±109) | 4,622,236 (±795) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 27.7% (±9.6 points) | 25.9% (±1.1 points) | 26.8% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $906 (±$163) | $947 (±$19) | $1,129 (±$4) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $41,999 (±$7,125) | $60,622 (±$1,588) | $72,875 (±$293) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $62,000 (±$8,960) | $152,800 (±$2,921) | $231,600 (±$642) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,355 (±$315) | $2,284 (±$52) | $2,904 (±$9) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 72.7% (±14.8 points) | 71.1% (±2.2 points) | 62.1% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 20.2 minutes (±2.7) | 22.4 minutes (±0.7) | 24.2 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 85.2% (±5.8 points) | 89.0% (±0.8 points) | 90.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 40.2 years (±7.8) | 41.2 years (±0.2) | 40.2 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Buena Vista covers 4.0 square miles of land, about 1,451 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Buena Vista has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 6,234 (±256) | 5,798 (±372) | −7.0% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 3,393 (±253) | 2,926 (±352) | −13.8% | Measurable decrease |
| Median gross rent | $823 (±$109) | $906 (±$163) | +10.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $39,500 (±$5,447) | $62,000 (±$8,960) | +57.0% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $30,735 (±$5,556) | $41,999 (±$7,125) | +36.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $778 (±$128) | $847 (±$21) | +8.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,120 (±$151) | $1,355 (±$315) | +21.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 47.5% (±7.1 points) | 27.7% (±9.6 points) | −19.8 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
| Rental vacancy rate | 3.5% (±5.5 points) | 26.0% (±13.5 points) | +22.5 percentage points | Measurable increase |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Saginaw County
Buena Vista has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Saginaw County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Saginaw County recorded 755 violent and 1,397 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Buena Vista
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saginaw | 2.5 mi | $922 | $60,000 | 40.0% |
| Bridgeport | 3.4 mi | $710 | $98,800 | 25.5% |
| Carrollton Township | 3.5 mi | $1,096 | $82,300 | 31.2% |
| Zilwaukee | 4.7 mi | $1,195 | $95,300 | 18.3% |
| Bridgeport Charter Township | 5.0 mi | $711 | $109,900 | 17.5% |
| Zilwaukee Township | 5.9 mi | — | $237,500 | 0.0% |
| Saginaw Charter Township | 6.5 mi | $1,002 | $182,000 | 34.1% |
| Spaulding Township | 6.8 mi | $692 | $117,600 | 4.6% |
Places in Michigan most like Buena Vista
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecorse | $840 | $65,400 | $40,241 | 37.8% |
| Hartford | $837 | $108,700 | $42,171 | 35.1% |
| Elkton | $909 | $92,300 | $48,654 | 38.5% |
| Saginaw | $922 | $60,000 | $38,579 | 40.0% |
| Caro | $753 | $102,700 | $41,595 | 36.0% |
| Caspian | $665 | $79,100 | $32,794 | 24.7% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Michigan.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Buena Vista, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $795 | $893 | $1,141 | $1,466 | $1,500 |
HUD income limits for Buena Vista, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $17,600 | $29,300 | $46,850 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $33,450 | $53,550 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $37,650 | $60,250 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $41,800 | $66,900 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $45,150 | $72,300 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $48,500 | $77,650 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $51,850 | $83,000 |
| 8 people | $55,200 | $55,200 | $88,350 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Saginaw, MI MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $83,200.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Buena Vista is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
It lies inside Buena Vista Charter Township, whose figures include it.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Buena Vista
What is the average rent in Buena Vista, MI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Buena Vista is $906 (±$163) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a two-bedroom apartment in Buena Vista?
The median gross rent for a two-bedroom home in Buena Vista, MI is $951 (±$239) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Buena Vista rent-burdened?
70.5% of renting households in Buena Vista pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Buena Vista?
Buena Vista has an estimated 637 (±217) renting households, 27.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Buena Vista?
The median household income in Buena Vista is $41,999 (±$7,125) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Buena Vista, MI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $62,000 (±$8,960) for owner-occupied homes in Buena Vista (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Buena Vista growing?
In Buena Vista, the number of residents went from 6,234 in 2015–2019 to 5,798 in 2020–2024 (−7.0%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Buena Vista CDP, Michigan
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Buena Vista CDP, Michigan
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Buena Vista CDP, Michigan
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Buena Vista CDP, Michigan
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Buena Vista CDP, Michigan
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Buena Vista CDP, Michigan
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Buena Vista CDP, Michigan
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Saginaw, MI MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Saginaw, MI MSA
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Buena Vista CDP, Michigan (place:11555, in state:26).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .