What is the median rent in Chelsea, AL?

Name: Median rent in Chelsea, AL, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Chelsea, AL is $1,414 (±$318) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 459 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Chelsea, the median gross rent went from $1,448 in 2015–2019 to $1,414 in 2020–2024 (−2.3%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it fell after inflation as well.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,414 (±$318)
Rented homes: 459 (±231)
$2,000 or more: 27.9%
Since 2015–2019: −2.3%

How much rent costs in Chelsea

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Chelsea	Shelby County	Alabama	United States
Less than $500	0.0% (±8.3 points)	3.1%	10.0%	6.3%
$500 to $999	23.5% (±18.4 points)	15.7%	39.4%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	38.1% (±33.1 points)	40.1%	34.1%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	10.5% (±13.3 points)	27.6%	11.5%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	21.1% (±18.1 points)	11.2%	3.4%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	6.8% (±8.5 points)	1.4%	0.7%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	0.0% (±8.3 points)	0.9%	0.9%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 38.1% of renting households.

27.9% of rented homes in Chelsea cost $2,000 or more a month.

Chelsea against Shelby County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Chelsea	Shelby County	Alabama	United States
Median gross rent	$1,414 (±$318)	$1,401 (±$38)	$1,007 (±$8)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	459 (±231)	15,032 (±896)	535,330 (±6,270)	42,849,984

In Chelsea, median gross rent is not measurably different from Shelby County ($1,401).

It is also higher than in Alabama ($1,007).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

In Shelby County, Chelsea ranks 7 of 17 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 28 of 424.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Chelsea has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,448 (±$99)	$1,414 (±$318)	−2.3%	Down after inflation
Households that rent	5.7% (±1.9 points)	10.0% (±4.7 points)	+4.3 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	26.5% (±23.3 points)	13.5% (±14.7 points)	−13.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Chelsea

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Chelsea
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Chelsea	—	$1,414 (±$318)	—
Highland Lakes	6.2 mi	$1,201 (±$611)	Not measurably different
Pelham	6.2 mi	$1,577 (±$130)	Not measurably different
Westover	7.1 mi	$1,048 (±$187)	Not measurably different
Meadowbrook	7.2 mi	$1,365 (±$69)	Not measurably different
Indian Springs Village	7.4 mi	$2,264 (±$279)	Higher
Columbiana	8.2 mi	$940 (±$76)	Lower
Shoal Creek	8.5 mi	$2,766 (±$237)	Higher
Brook Highland	9.4 mi	$1,460 (±$86)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Columbiana, AL ($940).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Indian Springs Village, AL ($2,264), Shoal Creek, AL ($2,766).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Shelby County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Shoal Creek	$2,766 (±$237)
2	Indian Springs Village	$2,264 (±$279)
3	Calera	$1,601 (±$137)
4	Pelham	$1,577 (±$130)
5	Helena	$1,574 (±$291)
6	Brook Highland	$1,460 (±$86)
7	Chelsea	$1,414 (±$318)
8	Alabaster	$1,372 (±$123)
9	Meadowbrook	$1,365 (±$69)
10	Highland Lakes	$1,201 (±$611)
11	Westover	$1,048 (±$187)
12	Montevallo	$956 (±$71)
13	Columbiana	$940 (±$76)

Showing 13 of 17 places in Shelby County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Chelsea

What is the average rent in Chelsea, AL?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Chelsea is $1,414 (±$318) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Chelsea?

In Chelsea, the median gross rent went from $1,448 in 2015–2019 to $1,414 in 2020–2024 (−2.3%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it fell after inflation as well.

How many rentals in Chelsea cost more than $2,000 a month?

27.9% of rented homes in Chelsea have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 0.0% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Chelsea higher than in Shelby County?

In Chelsea, median gross rent is not measurably different from Shelby County ($1,401).

It is also higher than in Alabama ($1,007).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Chelsea city, Alabama (place:14104, in state:01).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.