ZIP 98104
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12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
February. Asking rents in ZIP 98104 usually run 1.6% below trend in February and 2.3% above it in August, about $80 a month apart at today's median. Based on 7 years of data.
Rent in ZIP 98104 is 2.8% below its high of $2,100 in March 2020, at $2,041 as of September 2026.
Rent in ZIP 98104 changed -2.0% over the year to September 2026. Across the 193 Washington ZIP codes Zillow tracks, the typical change was +2.5%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in ZIP 98104 rose 2.7% while median household income rose 15.1% ($53,407 to $61,460). Income kept ahead of rent.
Rent in ZIP 98104 is 2.8% lower than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent rose in 4 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($61,460) is $1,537 a month. That is less than HUD's Fair Market Rent for a studio ($1,860).
8th cheapest of 22 ZIP codes in Seattle.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for ZIP 98104. 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 98104 (Seattle, WA) 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 98104 in Seattle, WA has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in ZIP 98104 in Seattle, WA has increased by $297 per month, settling near $2,041 after starting the period at $1,744. Median household income grew from $60,955 to $61,460 between 2021 and 2024, a 0.8% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 16.2 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 14,469 to 16,542 between 2021 and 2024, a 14.3% change. About 91.8% of households rent today, against 89.6% in 2021. Taken together, the five-year picture in ZIP 98104 in Seattle, WA 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 98104
Last updated: October 17, 2026
ZIP code 98104 covers Seattle, WA. The median rent here is $2,041/mo as of October 2026. A 1-bedroom rents for a median of $1,920/mo. A 2-bedroom rents for a median of $2,240/mo.
At 40% of local median household income ($61,460/yr), ZIP 98104 ranks as moderate compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have decreased 2.0% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does ZIP 98104 compare to other ZIPs in Washington?
How does ZIP 98104 compare to the rest of Seattle?
At $2,041/mo, rent takes ~40% of ZIP 98104's median household income ($61,460/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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