ZIP 85251
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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
June. Asking rents in ZIP 85251 usually run 0.6% below trend in June and 0.7% above it in March, about $26 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in ZIP 85251 is 0.3% below its high of $1,998 in May 2022, at $1,992 as of September 2026.
Rent in ZIP 85251 changed +1.6% over the year to September 2026. Across the 171 Arizona ZIP codes Zillow tracks, the typical change was +1.6%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in ZIP 85251 rose 40.1% while median household income rose 44% ($64,470 to $92,851). Income kept ahead of rent.
Rent in ZIP 85251 is 36.2% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 6 months in a row, and rose in 7 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($92,851) is $2,321 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($2,200); a 3-bedroom is $2,930.
4th cheapest of 8 ZIP codes in Scottsdale.
ZIP 85018, 4 miles away, rents for 17% less ($1,648/mo), about $4,100 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for ZIP 85251. 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 85251 (Scottsdale, AZ) is roughly split between renters and owners, skews toward younger working-age adults, has a median income above the national average, 60.7% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How ZIP 85251 in Scottsdale, AZ has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in ZIP 85251 in Scottsdale, AZ has increased by $369 per month, settling near $1,992 after starting the period at $1,623. Median household income grew from $78,733 to $92,851 between 2021 and 2024, a 17.9% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 4.8 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 40,017 to 40,780 between 2021 and 2024, a 1.9% change. About 51.5% of households rent today, against 53.6% in 2021. Educational attainment has shifted as well, with the share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher climbed from 57.4% to 60.7%. Taken together, the five-year picture in ZIP 85251 in Scottsdale, AZ 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 85251
Last updated: October 17, 2026
ZIP code 85251 covers Scottsdale, AZ. The median rent here is $1,992/mo as of October 2026. A 1-bedroom rents for a median of $1,890/mo. A 2-bedroom rents for a median of $2,200/mo.
At 26% of local median household income ($92,851/yr), ZIP 85251 ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 1.6% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does ZIP 85251 compare to the rest of Scottsdale?
At $1,992/mo, rent takes ~26% of ZIP 85251's median household income ($92,851/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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