Most of Grand Junction is in Mesa County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $28.78 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 7 ZIP codes in Grand Junction with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $830 to $1,220 a month. At the middle rent, $910, a full-time job would need to pay $28.12 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81501 | Mesa County | $880/mo | $27.13/hr |
| 81502 | Mesa County | $890/mo | $27.46/hr |
| 81503 | Mesa County | $830/mo | $25.47/hr |
| 81504 | Mesa County | $1,070/mo | $33.42/hr |
| 81505 | Mesa County | $1,110/mo | $34.78/hr |
| 81506 | Mesa County | $910/mo | $28.12/hr |
| 81507 | Mesa County | $1,220/mo | $38.95/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Grand Junction needs to pay at least $28.78 an hour before taxes, about $59,865 a year. That is the figure for Mesa County, where the typical studio rent is $930 a month.
Yes. Across the 7 ZIP codes in Grand Junction with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $830 to $1,220 a month. At the middle rent of $910, the pay needed would be $28.12 an hour.
The minimum wage in Mesa County is $15.16 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 1.9 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads