Rents are 3% below what Salisbury's 10-year trend predicts — a better deal than its own history suggests.
Rent by unit size
These are HUD Fair Market Rents, the payment standard for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). They often differ from the $1,621 market median above, and that is expected: FMR is the 40th percentile of standard-quality units and counts gross rent, so it includes essential utilities such as electricity, water, gas, sewer, and trash. The market median is asking rent, which usually excludes utilities. HUD sets FMR once a year; market rent here updates monthly.
Source: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents. Read the methodology →
12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
January. Asking rents in Salisbury usually run 0.6% below trend in January and 0.3% above it in August, about $15 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Salisbury is 1.3% below its high of $1,643 in May 2026, at $1,621 as of September 2026.
Rent in Salisbury changed +1.2% over the year to September 2026. Across the 81 Maryland cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +2.4%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Salisbury rose 42.4% while median household income rose 39.8% ($41,905 to $58,576). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Salisbury is 46.8% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has fallen 4 months in a row, and rose in 6 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($58,576) is $1,464 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($1,440); a 3-bedroom is $1,900.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Salisbury. The seasonal pattern compares Zillow’s seasonally adjusted and unadjusted series. Income is the Census median household income (5-year estimates). Fair Market Rents are HUD’s, which include utilities.
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Who lives here
Salisbury, MD is majority renter-occupied, skews toward younger working-age adults, has a median income below the national average, 25.7% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Salisbury, MD has changed in 5 years
The median rent in Salisbury, MD stood at $1,173 in 2021 and currently runs about $1,621, reflecting a 38.2% increase over the period. Median household income rose from $48,310 to $58,576 between 2021 and 2024, a 21.3% shift. That spread, with rent up faster than earnings, points to a tougher affordability environment than five years ago. The population has grown by 2.2% since 2021, moving from about 32,583 residents to roughly 33,285. Renters now make up 72.9% of households, compared with 74.6% five years ago. College-educated residents now make up 25.7% of adults here, versus 29% in 2021. Taken together, the five-year picture in Salisbury, MD reflects how housing costs and the people paying them have evolved through a stretch that included a pandemic, a hot rental market, and a recent cooling phase.
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At $1,621/mo, how Salisbury rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Salisbury rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Salisbury. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Salisbury
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Salisbury is $1,621/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,090/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,440/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,100/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $1,900/mo.
At 33% of local median household income ($58,576/yr), Salisbury ranks as moderate compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 1.3% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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At $1,621/mo, rent takes ~33% of Salisbury's median household income ($58,576/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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