What percentage of people rent in Mercer Island, WA?

Name: Renters and owners in Mercer Island, WA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

33.0% (±3.1 points) of the occupied homes in Mercer Island, WA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 3,322 renting households against 6,746 that own their home.

In Mercer Island, the share of households that rent went from 31.3% in 2015–2019 to 33.0% in 2020–2024 (+1.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 33.0% (±3.1 points)
Renting households: 3,322 (±375)
Median renter income: $101,122 (±$17,183)

Who rents and who owns in Mercer Island

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Mercer Island	King County	Washington	United States
Renter-occupied share	33.0% (±3.1 points)	44.6% (±0.4 points)	36.2% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	3,322 (±375)	419,249 (±3,837)	1,110,043 (±7,257)	45,017,354
Owning households	6,746 (±279)	521,805 (±3,926)	1,954,777 (±10,007)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.8 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.8 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$101,122 (±$17,183)	$85,547 (±$1,255)	$66,868 (±$600)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$250,000 or more	$166,370 (±$1,692)	$119,764 (±$583)	$100,009

In Mercer Island, the renter share is lower than in King County (44.6%).

It is also lower than in Washington (36.2%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In King County, Mercer Island ranks 23 of 59 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 171 of 472.

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

How renting in Mercer Island has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	31.3% (±2.4 points)	33.0% (±3.1 points)	+1.7 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$2,162 (±$113)	$2,502 (±$191)	+15.7%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$147,566 (±$15,955)	$219,069 (±$17,476)	+48.5%	Up after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Mercer Island

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Mercer Island
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Mercer Island	—	33.0% (±3.1 points)	—
Beaux Arts Village	2.0 mi	9.3% (±7.5 points)	Lower
Newcastle	3.8 mi	39.0% (±4.5 points)	Higher
Bellevue	4.2 mi	48.0% (±1.4 points)	Higher
Medina	4.4 mi	20.5% (±7.4 points)	Lower
Clyde Hill	4.6 mi	8.6% (±3.9 points)	Lower
Bryn Mawr-Skyway	4.8 mi	40.6% (±4.5 points)	Higher
Boulevard Park	5.2 mi	50.4% (±11.7 points)	Higher
Hunts Point	5.5 mi	7.3% (±9.9 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Beaux Arts Village, WA (9.3%), Medina, WA (20.5%), Clyde Hill, WA (8.6%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Newcastle, WA (39.0%), Bellevue, WA (48.0%), Bryn Mawr-Skyway, WA (40.6%).

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

Households that rent across King County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
17 (tie)	Auburn	39.4% (±2.1 points)
17 (tie)	Des Moines	39.4% (±3.1 points)
19	Kirkland	39.2% (±1.7 points)
20	Newcastle	39.0% (±4.5 points)
21	Bothell	34.5% (±2.6 points)
22	Shoreline	33.7% (±2.0 points)
23	Mercer Island	33.0% (±3.1 points)
24	Kenmore	30.7% (±3.6 points)
25	Lakeland North	28.3% (±7.2 points)
26	North Bend	26.5% (±6.0 points)
27	Fairwood (King County)	26.1% (±4.5 points)
28	Enumclaw	25.7% (±5.0 points)
29	Lakeland South	24.1% (±5.4 points)

Showing 13 of 59 places in King 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 Mercer Island

How many renters are there in Mercer Island?

Mercer Island has an estimated 3,322 (±375) renting households, 33.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Mercer Island?

In Mercer Island, the share of households that rent went from 31.3% in 2015–2019 to 33.0% in 2020–2024 (+1.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Mercer Island?

A renting household in Mercer Island has 1.8 people on average, against 2.8 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Mercer Island?

The median renting household in Mercer Island, WA has an income of $101,122 (±$17,183) a year, against $250,000 or more for households that own their home.

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Mercer Island city, Washington (place:45005, in state:53).

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

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.