What is the median rent in Brookline (community), MA?

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

The median gross rent in Brookline (community), MA is $2,835 (±$82) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 14,436 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Brookline (community), the median gross rent went from $2,268 in 2015–2019 to $2,835 in 2020–2024 (+25.0%).

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: $2,835 (±$82)
Rented homes: 14,436 (±779)
$2,000 or more: 77.1%
Since 2015–2019: +25.0%

How much rent costs in Brookline (community)

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Brookline (community)	Norfolk County	Massachusetts	United States
Less than $500	7.2% (±2.4 points)	8.4%	10.2%	6.3%
$500 to $999	4.6% (±1.5 points)	6.4%	11.7%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	4.5% (±1.4 points)	9.5%	17.7%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	6.5% (±2.0 points)	18.8%	19.9%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	14.7% (±2.3 points)	22.9%	16.7%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	18.5% (±3.1 points)	15.8%	10.5%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	43.9% (±3.3 points)	18.2%	13.3%	6.8%

The most common range is $3,000 or more, paid by 43.9% of renting households.

77.1% of rented homes in Brookline (community) cost $2,000 or more a month.

Brookline (community) against Norfolk County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Brookline (community)	Norfolk County	Massachusetts	United States
Median gross rent	$2,835 (±$82)	$2,149 (±$29)	$1,762 (±$9)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	14,436 (±779)	85,183 (±1,935)	1,006,980 (±6,692)	42,849,984

In Brookline (community), median gross rent is higher than in Norfolk County ($2,149).

It is also higher than in Massachusetts ($1,762).

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

In Norfolk County, Brookline (community) ranks 2 of 13 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 5 of 147.

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

How rent in Brookline (community) 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	$2,268 (±$50)	$2,835 (±$82)	+25.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	51.1% (±1.4 points)	53.1% (±2.3 points)	+2.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	1.8% (±1.0 points)	2.5% (±1.1 points)	+0.7 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 Brookline (community)

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Brookline (community)
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Brookline (community)	—	$2,835 (±$82)	—
Newton	3.4 mi	$2,370 (±$81)	Lower
Watertown	3.6 mi	$2,502 (±$107)	Lower
Cambridge	3.8 mi	$2,787 (±$48)	Not measurably different
Somerville	5.1 mi	$2,517 (±$64)	Lower
Belmont (community)	5.3 mi	$2,527 (±$105)	Lower
Belmont	5.3 mi	$2,527 (±$105)	Lower
Dedham (community)	5.7 mi	$2,042 (±$182)	Lower
Dedham	5.7 mi	$2,042 (±$182)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Newton, MA ($2,370), Watertown, MA ($2,502), Somerville, MA ($2,517).

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

Median gross rent across Norfolk County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Wellesley (community)	$2,886 (±$360)
2	Brookline (community)	$2,835 (±$82)
3	Sharon (community)	$2,576 (±$302)
4	Needham (community)	$2,409 (±$183)
5	Walpole (community)	$2,184 (±$377)
6	Norwood (community)	$2,116 (±$83)
7	Dedham (community)	$2,042 (±$182)
8	Medfield (community)	$2,014 (±$531)

Showing 8 of 13 places in Norfolk County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Brookline (community) is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

It lies inside Brookline, whose figures include it.

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

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Brookline (community)

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near Brookline (community), save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Brookline (community) beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Brookline (community), and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Brookline (community)

What is the average rent in Brookline (community), MA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Brookline (community) is $2,835 (±$82) 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 Brookline (community)?

In Brookline (community), the median gross rent went from $2,268 in 2015–2019 to $2,835 in 2020–2024 (+25.0%).

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 Brookline (community) cost more than $2,000 a month?

77.1% of rented homes in Brookline (community) have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 7.2% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Brookline (community) higher than in Norfolk County?

In Brookline (community), median gross rent is higher than in Norfolk County ($2,149).

It is also higher than in Massachusetts ($1,762).

It is higher 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 Brookline CDP, Massachusetts (place:09210, in state:25).

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.