What is the median rent in Royal Oak, MI?

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

The median gross rent in Royal Oak, MI is $1,381 (±$47) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 9,049 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Royal Oak, the median gross rent went from $1,079 in 2015–2019 to $1,381 in 2020–2024 (+28.0%).

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: $1,381 (±$47)
Rented homes: 9,049 (±565)
$2,000 or more: 18.4%
Since 2015–2019: +28.0%

How much rent costs in Royal Oak

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Royal Oak	Oakland County	Michigan	United States
Less than $500	4.2% (±1.5 points)	4.6%	8.3%	6.3%
$500 to $999	8.9% (±2.2 points)	15.4%	30.1%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	46.8% (±4.2 points)	39.5%	38.4%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	21.6% (±3.3 points)	24.3%	15.1%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	13.6% (±3.4 points)	9.7%	5.0%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	3.2% (±1.3 points)	3.0%	1.4%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	1.6% (±0.9 points)	3.6%	1.7%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 46.8% of renting households.

18.4% of rented homes in Royal Oak cost $2,000 or more a month.

Royal Oak against Oakland County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Royal Oak	Oakland County	Michigan	United States
Median gross rent	$1,381 (±$47)	$1,376 (±$14)	$1,129 (±$4)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	9,049 (±565)	139,230 (±2,220)	1,032,697 (±7,764)	42,849,984

In Royal Oak, median gross rent is not measurably different from Oakland County ($1,376).

It is also higher than in Michigan ($1,129).

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

In Oakland County, Royal Oak ranks 25 of 48 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 127 of 1,305.

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

How rent in Royal Oak 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	$1,079 (±$34)	$1,381 (±$47)	+28.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	32.6% (±1.6 points)	32.0% (±1.9 points)	−0.6 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	6.8% (±2.2 points)	8.4% (±2.7 points)	+1.6 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 Royal Oak

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Royal Oak
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Royal Oak	—	$1,381 (±$47)	—
Berkley	1.7 mi	$1,526 (±$440)	Not measurably different
Huntington Woods	1.9 mi	$2,493 (±$357)	Higher
Clawson	2.0 mi	$1,253 (±$126)	Not measurably different
Pleasant Ridge	2.6 mi	$1,720 (±$137)	Higher
Madison Heights	2.6 mi	$1,176 (±$45)	Lower
Oak Park	3.3 mi	$1,396 (±$85)	Not measurably different
Ferndale	3.5 mi	$1,311 (±$91)	Not measurably different
Lathrup Village	3.9 mi	$1,483 (±$1,000)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Madison Heights, MI ($1,176).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Huntington Woods, MI ($2,493), Pleasant Ridge, MI ($1,720).

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

Median gross rent across Oakland County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
19	Auburn Hills	$1,477 (±$39)
20	Milford Charter Township	$1,466 (±$393)
21	Independence Charter Township	$1,453 (±$88)
22	Walled Lake	$1,419 (±$183)
23	Oak Park	$1,396 (±$85)
24	Village of Clarkston	$1,382 (±$114)
25	Royal Oak	$1,381 (±$47)
26 (tie)	Rochester	$1,350 (±$83)
26 (tie)	Oxford Charter Township	$1,350 (±$166)
28 (tie)	Farmington	$1,340 (±$54)
28 (tie)	Southfield	$1,340 (±$28)
30	Orion Charter Township	$1,327 (±$65)
31	Hazel Park	$1,314 (±$54)

Showing 13 of 48 places in Oakland 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.

What you can do on Seayora in Royal Oak

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 Royal Oak, 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 Royal Oak beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Royal Oak, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Royal Oak

What is the average rent in Royal Oak, MI?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Royal Oak is $1,381 (±$47) 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 Royal Oak?

In Royal Oak, the median gross rent went from $1,079 in 2015–2019 to $1,381 in 2020–2024 (+28.0%).

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 Royal Oak cost more than $2,000 a month?

18.4% of rented homes in Royal Oak have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 4.2% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Royal Oak higher than in Oakland County?

In Royal Oak, median gross rent is not measurably different from Oakland County ($1,376).

It is also higher than in Michigan ($1,129).

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 Royal Oak city, Michigan (place:70040, in state:26).

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.