1st Advantage MortgageGreen Bay is a WI market where the rent-to-payment ratio decides the loan. Median rent is $932, median home value is $207,200 and 42% of households rent.
Market snapshot for Green Bay
For Green Bay, the latest five-year ACS shows a median gross rent of $932 (about 14% below the Wisconsin median of $1,087) and a median owner-occupied value of $207,200 (about 22% below the Wisconsin median of $266,500). Put the two medians together and Green Bay shows a gross yield of 5.4%, on the low side, so the payment, not the rent, usually decides whether a file clears. Because the rent number covers apartments as well as houses, expect single-family rentals to land above or below it.
| Indicator | Wisconsin | Green Bay | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that rent | 32.2% | 42.1% | +31% |
| Tax as a share of home value | 1.42% | 1.51% | +6% |
| Household income, median | $77,485 | $66,206 | -15% |
| Typical owner-occupied value | $266,500 | $207,200 | -22% |
| Persons per household | 2.33 | 2.36 | |
| Share in 2-4 unit buildings | 9.4% | 12.9% | +37% |
| Share of homes detached | 66.2% | 58.3% | -12% |
| Long commuters, 45 min plus | 10.2% | 8.4% | -18% |
| Degree holders, age 25+ | 33.4% | 26.7% | -20% |
| Workers on their own account | 8.5% | 5.9% | -30% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income | 43.7% | 44.5% | +2% |
| Units sitting vacant | 10.8% | 4.2% | -61% |
| Typical construction year | 1975 | 1971 | |
| Annual rent divided by value | 4.9% | 5.4% | +10% |
| Residents (Census estimate) | 5,914,872 | 106,253 |
The renter share is 42.1% in Green Bay, well above the Wisconsin median of 32%, a sizable rental market. Median household income is $66,206, about 15% below the Wisconsin median of $77,485, and 45% of renter households pay 30 percent or more of income on rent.
The kind of housing in Green Bay
Only 58% of units in Green Bay are detached houses. The rest is townhomes, duplexes and apartments, with two to four unit buildings at 13% of the total. The median home was built in 1971, a middle-aged stock where roofs, HVAC and water heaters are the main repair items.
Roughly 4% of units in Green Bay sit vacant, and the share of rentals available for rent is 4.7% at the survey's snapshot.
What the data means for Green Bay buyers
A gross yield of 5.4% means Green Bay is a market where purchase prices run ahead of rent, so a 1.0 ratio generally takes a larger down payment or a property priced below the local median. Housing here is neither new nor ancient, so condition varies widely from block to block and the inspection tells you more than the median. A 42% renter share is large enough to keep units leased, so location relative to jobs and schools drives rent more than the market as a whole.
What costs can do to a Green Bay ratio
Property taxes in Green Bay run a median $3,125 a year for owners, about 18% below the Wisconsin median of $3,792. As a share of median value, that is about 1.51%. Compared with annual median rent, the tax line is about 28%.
FEMA's National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates Brown County as relatively moderate overall for natural hazard risk, with cold waves (relatively high), hail (relatively high) and lightning (relatively high) among its leading hazards.
| Hazard in Brown County, FEMA index | Level |
|---|---|
| Tornadoes exposure | Relatively High |
| Lightning exposure | Relatively High |
| Hail exposure | Relatively High |
| Cold waves exposure | Relatively High |
| Social vulnerability score | Very Low |
| Annualized loss estimate | Relatively Moderate |
| Composite risk | Relatively Moderate |
Standard landlord policies usually exclude flood, and coastal ones can add a separate wind deductible, so ask the agent for Green Bay exclusions before trusting a premium estimate.
What the Green Bay medians allow
Worked through with this city's own medians: rent of $932 against taxes of about $260 a month leaves $672 for principal, interest, insurance and dues at a 1.00 ratio, and $485 at a 1.25 ratio. That arithmetic is the whole game, and the real rent and quotes for your address replace these medians.
What WI law and Green Bay require of landlords
This page does not claim to list every Green Bay rental ordinance. Before you buy, call the city's planning or code office and Brown County to ask about rental registration, inspections and short-term rental permits, and read any association declaration. Guests who book by the night in Green Bay are taxed under state law as follows. Wisconsin taxes short-term lodging of under a month, requires a marketplace that processes the guest's payment to collect state sales tax, and leaves municipal room taxes to be filed with each taxing municipality.
A Green Bay landlord must handle the deposit within 21 days after move-out under Wisconsin law.
Neighbors of Green Bay by the numbers
Prices in the comparison range from $173,700 in Fond du Lac to $231,400 in Appleton, with Green Bay at $207,200.
| Market | Renter share | Tax bill | Home value | Residents | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fond du Lac | 42% | $3,074 | $173,700 | 44,494 | $913 |
| Sheboygan | 39% | $2,714 | $174,200 | 49,645 | $924 |
| Oshkosh | 45% | $3,401 | $177,700 | 66,729 | $935 |
| Appleton | 33% | $3,588 | $231,400 | 75,023 | $1,030 |
| Green Bay | 42% | $3,125 | $207,200 | 106,253 | $932 |
Who rents in Green Bay
The self-employed share of the workforce is 5.9%, and those owners tend to be exactly the buyers DSCR financing was built for. Around the edges, government workers are about 9% of employment, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher and 8% of commuters travel 45 minutes or more.
Employers named in Wikipedia's Green Bay entry for 2021 include Bellin Health, Schneider National, Humana, Aurora BayCare Medical Center and Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, which is where many tenants earn the income that pays rent. Campuses such as University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Bellin College of Nursing, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and College of Menominee Nation pull tenants into Green Bay, and landlords near them can plan around move-in seasons. Transportation links include interstate access via I-43 and I-41 and air service through Green Bay-Austin Straubel International Airport. Easy highway and air access helps both tenant commutes and remote ownership.
From a Green Bay listing to a loan
Gather the lease or rent estimate, the tax estimate and an insurance quote for the Green Bay address, check them in the calculator, and begin your application or get a quote first.
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- Every market we cover
References
- National Risk Index entry, Brown County
- Encyclopedia entry for Green Bay
- Wisconsin landlord deposit rules, Wis. Stat. 704.28; Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06
- For nightly stays in Green Bay: Wisconsin DOR Publication 219
- U.S. Census Bureau data for Green Bay
The Green Bay statistics are five-year ACS estimates (2020 to 2024), which have sampling error. For Wisconsin tenant law we used RedFlagLease under CC BY 4.0 plus the linked statutes. Verified October 2026. Ordinances and statutes change, so confirm before acting.
DSCR loan availability varies by property and lender program and is not an offer to lend. See our disclosures.
Frequently asked questions
Lease or market rent: what counts in Green Bay?
A signed lease or the appraiser's rent schedule supplies the rent, depending on the program, and $932 is the Census median for Green Bay renters, only a benchmark.
Do taxes and insurance count in the Green Bay DSCR ratio?
Every piece of PITIA is in the denominator. With $932 in rent, a 1.25 lender allows about $746, leaving $485 after median taxes of $260 a month.
What does Brown County charge in property tax, in practice?
Typical owners pay $3,125, or 1.51% of home value, with Wisconsin overall at 1.42%. Do not assume the seller's bill carries over to you.
Will a lender count nightly rental income at a Green Bay property?
Depending on the lender, yes, if the property may legally be used that way and income is documented. Confirm the local permit, association rules and Wisconsin lodging taxes before you underwrite nightly income in Green Bay.
What deposit rules apply to a WI rental?
Return: 21 days. Statute: Wis. Stat. 704.28; Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06. Confirm current text before you rely on it.
What does FEMA say about hazard risk near Green Bay?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall natural hazard risk as relatively moderate. That is a county-level view, so check the FEMA flood map and an insurance quote for the exact Green Bay address.
Should a Green Bay rental be bought in an LLC?
It is optional. Lenders will close in a properly formed LLC and generally want the members to guarantee. Ask your accountant how a WI entity would be taxed.