ZIP Code · CO

ZIP 81501

Part of Grand Junction, CO

Pop. 24,011·Mesa County·150th most expensive ZIP in Colorado

Median rent (all units)

$1,499/mo

Year-over-Year

+2.1%

Month-over-Month

Stable

vs US Median

-$433

Reported rents

Stable (Monthly)

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Most AffordableMost Expensive

ZIP 81501 · $1,499

More affordable than 73% of US ZIP codes · National median $1,932/mo

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Compare your rent to the local median.

Medians by bedroom

Rent by unit size

Studio

$870

1 BR

$970

2 BR

$1,230

3 BR

$1,710

4 BR+

$2,060

Research median

$1,230/mo

Bedroom estimates are gross rents that include essential utilities (electricity, water, gas, sewer, trash).

Rent trends

12-month history

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Last updated: October 17, 2026

From the history

What the numbers show

Cheapest month to sign

May. Asking rents in ZIP 81501 usually run 0.8% below trend in May and 1% above it in August, about $27 a month apart at today's median. Based on 5 years of data.

Compared with the peak

Rent in ZIP 81501 is 0.6% below its high of $1,508 in April 2026, at $1,499 as of September 2026.

Past year vs. the rest of Colorado

Rent in ZIP 81501 changed +2.1% over the year to September 2026. Across the 155 Colorado ZIP codes Zillow tracks, the typical change was +1.3%.

Recent direction

Rent rose in 7 of the last 12 months.

What a typical income covers

30% of the median household income ($53,666) is $1,342 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($1,230); a 3-bedroom is $1,710.

Rank in Grand Junction

1st cheapest of 5 ZIP codes in Grand Junction.

From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for ZIP 81501. 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.

Annual cost

$17,988/yr

At $1,499/mo median

Location

CityGrand Junction

StateCO

CountyMesa County

Rent Market Meter

Landlord's Market

Renter's MarketBalancedLandlord's Market

Rents are climbing (2.1% YoY), so leverage tilts toward landlords. Act sooner rather than later.

Based on rent-price momentum (+2.1% YoY, -0.1% MoM), not inventory.

Demographics

Who lives here

ZIP 81501 (Grand Junction, CO) is roughly split between renters and owners, skews toward younger working-age adults, has a median income below the national average, 27.8% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Population

24,011

Median income

$53,666

Median age

36.2

Renters

53.2%

Age distribution

37.4%

21.5%

18.3%

Under 1811.1%

18–3437.4%

35–5421.5%

55–6411.7%

65+18.3%

Gender

53.6%

46.4%

Male53.6%

Female46.4%

Race & ethnicity

81.6%

17.4%

White81.6%

Black1.2%

Hispanic17.4%

Asian1.3%

Education (25+)

30.6%

32.8%

27.8%

No HS diploma8.8%

HS diploma30.6%

Some college32.8%

Bachelor's+27.8%

Housing tenure

46.8%

53.2%

Owner46.8%

Renter53.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates

2021 vs 2026

How ZIP 81501 in Grand Junction, CO has changed in 5 years

Rent

$1,047 → $1,499

up 43.2%

Income

$40,362 → $53,666

up 33.0%

Population

23,803 → 24,011

up 0.9%

Renter share

55.9% → 53.2%

-2.7 pts

Bachelor's+

25.5% → 27.8%

+2.3 pts

Median age

35.3 → 36.2

+0.9 yrs

Rent in ZIP 81501 in Grand Junction, CO has increased 43.2% since 2021, going from about $1,047 per month to roughly $1,499 today. Local incomes tracked alongside that move, going from a median of $40,362 in 2021 to $53,666 more recently. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 10.2 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. About 53.2% of households rent today, against 55.9% in 2021. Educational attainment has shifted as well, with the share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher climbed from 25.5% to 27.8%. These shifts give renters and would-be renters a longer baseline for sizing up today's listings against the ZIP 81501 in Grand Junction, CO market of 2021.

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About renting in ZIP 81501

Last updated: October 17, 2026

ZIP code 81501 covers Grand Junction, CO. The median rent here is $1,499/mo as of October 2026. A 1-bedroom rents for a median of $970/mo. A 2-bedroom rents for a median of $1,230/mo.

At 34% of local median household income ($53,666/yr), ZIP 81501 ranks as moderate compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 2.1% over the past year.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How much income do you need to rent in ZIP 81501?

To keep rent at or below 30% of gross income, you would need to earn at least $60,000/year (about $29/hour full-time) to afford the median rent of $1,499/mo in ZIP 81501. The local median household income is $53,666/yr, so the typical household falls short of that bar.

Is rent going up or down in ZIP 81501?

Rent in ZIP 81501 has risen 2.1% over the past year as of September 2026. It sits 0.6% below its high of $1,508 in April 2026.

When is the cheapest time to rent in ZIP 81501?

Asking rents in ZIP 81501 are usually lowest in May, about 0.8% below their yearly trend, and highest in August, about 1% above it. At today's median that is a gap of roughly $27 a month. This pattern comes from 5 years of Zillow rent data.

How does ZIP 81501 compare to other ZIPs in Colorado?

ZIP 81501 is one of the more affordable among Colorado ZIP codes for rent, ranking #150 of 168 at $1,499/mo. Over the year to September 2026, rent in ZIP 81501 changed +2.1%, against a typical +1.3% across the 155 Colorado ZIP codes Zillow tracks.