What is the median rent in Sanford, ME?

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

The median gross rent in Sanford, ME is $1,152 (±$72) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 2,686 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Sanford, the median gross rent went from $901 in 2015–2019 to $1,152 in 2020–2024 (+27.9%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,152 (±$72)
Rented homes: 2,686 (±327)
$2,000 or more: 5.5%
Since 2015–2019: +27.9%

How much rent costs in Sanford

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Sanford	York County	Maine	United States
Less than $500	6.6% (±3.8 points)	8.5%	12.2%	6.3%
$500 to $999	28.3% (±7.7 points)	16.4%	27.4%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	44.4% (±7.5 points)	33.7%	31.6%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	15.2% (±4.2 points)	27.4%	16.4%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	3.9% (±2.4 points)	7.6%	7.1%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	1.6% (±2.6 points)	4.0%	2.9%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	0.0% (±1.0 points)	2.4%	2.3%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 44.4% of renting households.

5.5% of rented homes in Sanford cost $2,000 or more a month.

Sanford against York County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Sanford	York County	Maine	United States
Median gross rent	$1,152 (±$72)	$1,339 (±$51)	$1,139 (±$13)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	2,686 (±327)	19,200 (±932)	142,202 (±2,328)	42,849,984

In Sanford, median gross rent is lower than in York County ($1,339).

It is not measurably different from Maine ($1,139).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

In York County, Sanford ranks 22 of 25 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 112 of 355.

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

How rent in Sanford 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	$901 (±$38)	$1,152 (±$72)	+27.9%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	40.8% (±3.5 points)	28.8% (±3.3 points)	−12.0 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Rental vacancy rate	4.6% (±2.8 points)	2.7% (±2.7 points)	−1.9 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 Sanford

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Sanford
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Sanford	—	$1,152 (±$72)	—
Alfred	4.1 mi	$1,035 (±$432)	Not measurably different
North Berwick	5.1 mi	$1,105 (±$116)	Not measurably different
Lyman	7.6 mi	$1,063 (±$522)	Not measurably different
West Kennebunk	8.9 mi	$1,602 (±$373)	Higher
North Berwick (community)	8.9 mi	$1,088 (±$247)	Not measurably different
Berwick	9.6 mi	$1,452 (±$430)	Not measurably different
Shapleigh	9.7 mi	$1,349 (±$133)	Higher
Wells	10 mi	$1,350 (±$297)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: West Kennebunk, ME ($1,602), Shapleigh, ME ($1,349).

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

Median gross rent across York County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
16	Old Orchard Beach	$1,246 (±$182)
17	Dayton	$1,215 (±$867)
18	Waterboro	$1,200 (±$461)
19	Cornish	$1,196 (±$148)
20 (tie)	Limington	$1,185 (±$121)
20 (tie)	Parsonsfield	$1,185 (±$312)
22	Sanford	$1,152 (±$72)
23	North Berwick	$1,105 (±$116)
24	Lyman	$1,063 (±$522)
25	Alfred	$1,035 (±$432)

Showing 10 of 25 places in York 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 Sanford

What is the average rent in Sanford, ME?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Sanford is $1,152 (±$72) 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 Sanford?

In Sanford, the median gross rent went from $901 in 2015–2019 to $1,152 in 2020–2024 (+27.9%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

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

5.5% of rented homes in Sanford have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 6.6% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Sanford higher than in York County?

In Sanford, median gross rent is lower than in York County ($1,339).

It is not measurably different from Maine ($1,139).

It is lower than 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 Sanford city, Maine (place:65725, in state:23).

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.