ZIP 21201
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Bedroom estimates are gross rents that include essential utilities (electricity, water, gas, sewer, trash).
12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
January. Asking rents in ZIP 21201 usually run 1.3% below trend in January and 1% above it in July, about $34 a month apart at today's median. Based on 9 years of data.
Rent in ZIP 21201 is 0.7% below its high of $1,484 in September 2025, at $1,474 as of September 2026.
Rent in ZIP 21201 changed -0.7% over the year to September 2026. Across the 124 Maryland ZIP codes Zillow tracks, the typical change was +2.6%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in ZIP 21201 rose 16.6% while median household income rose 21.1% ($37,687 to $45,640). Income kept ahead of rent.
Rent in ZIP 21201 is 17.5% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent rose in 5 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($45,640) is $1,141 a month. That is less than HUD's Fair Market Rent for a studio ($1,430).
4th cheapest of 20 ZIP codes in Baltimore.
ZIP 21215, 5 miles away, rents for 11% less ($1,312/mo), about $1,900 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for ZIP 21201. 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.
Who lives here
ZIP 21201 (Baltimore, MD) is majority renter-occupied, skews toward younger working-age adults, has a median income below the national average, 45.8% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How ZIP 21201 in Baltimore, MD has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in ZIP 21201 in Baltimore, MD has climbed by $228 per month, settling near $1,474 after starting the period at $1,246. Median household income grew from $40,932 to $45,640 between 2021 and 2024, a 11.5% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 6.8 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Headcount in the area went from 17,773 to 18,307 between 2021 and 2024, a 3.0% change. Educational attainment has shifted as well, with the share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher slipped from 48.2% to 45.8%. Taken together, the five-year picture in ZIP 21201 in Baltimore, 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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Tips for renters in ZIP 21201
Last updated: October 17, 2026
ZIP code 21201 covers Baltimore, MD. The median rent here is $1,474/mo as of October 2026. A 1-bedroom rents for a median of $1,590/mo. A 2-bedroom rents for a median of $1,950/mo.
At 39% of local median household income ($45,640/yr), ZIP 21201 ranks as moderate compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have decreased 0.7% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does ZIP 21201 compare to the rest of Baltimore?
At $1,474/mo, rent takes ~39% of ZIP 21201's median household income ($45,640/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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