How much did the rent go up (or down): September 2017 edition

Median rent in Seattle, by all accounts, has gone up. But how far—and the actual dollar figure—vary depending on what data you’re looking at. The summary: For a one-bedroom, it’s anywhere from $1,380 to $1,950.

Again, like in previous months, Apartment List (AL)’s lower number comes from different methodology. Their goal is to figure out what median rent recent movers are actually paying without skewing toward luxury listings. They incorporate both listing and census data into their calculations.

AL’s one-bedroom estimate this month, $1,380, and their two-bedroom estimate, $1,710 for a two-bedroom, are virtually unchanged from last month, but account for a 5.4 percent year over year.

Zumper’s rankings, on the other hand, are based on active listings from both their own listings and third-party data from MLS listings.

They found that one-bedrooms in Seattle experienced a 7.9 percent increase over this time last year to $1,940. Two bedrooms, at $2,460, saw a 7 percent increase year over year, but a slight decrease month over month.

One year over year decrease: Studios, which, according to Zumper, have a median rent of $1,500. That’s down 6.8 percent from this time last year.

Meanwhile, RentCafe, using data from real estate data firm Yardi Matrix, calculates Seattle’s average rent at $2,004 across the board—that’s a 7.3 percent increase year over year.

While dollar-for-dollar, Seattle saw the fourth-highest rent gain in the country ($137), percentage-wise we didn’t even crack Yardi’s top ten. Tacoma and Kent ranked sixth and ninth in the country by that measure.

For clarity, we’ve compiled everyone’s rent estimates, national ranking for Seattle, and year-over-year change, when available.

This article has been edited to clarify AL’s methodology.

• September 2017 Seattle Rent Report [AL]
• Apartment List National Rent Report [AL]
• Zumper National Rent Report [Zumper]
• September 2017 National Apartment Report [Abodo]
• Apartment Market Report [RentCafe]
• How much did the rent go up (or down): August 2017 [CS]