What is the median rent in Yelm, WA?

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

The median gross rent in Yelm, WA is $1,626 (±$348) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 1,160 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Yelm, the median gross rent went from $1,373 in 2015–2019 to $1,626 in 2020–2024 (+18.4%).

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: $1,626 (±$348)
Rented homes: 1,160 (±247)
$2,000 or more: 35.5%
Since 2015–2019: +18.4%

How much rent costs in Yelm

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Yelm	Thurston County	Washington	United States
Less than $500	12.7% (±9.6 points)	2.7%	4.6%	6.3%
$500 to $999	11.6% (±8.5 points)	8.3%	10.4%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	20.8% (±9.8 points)	23.1%	21.4%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	19.5% (±10.8 points)	33.7%	26.2%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	20.3% (±9.5 points)	20.0%	18.7%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	10.9% (±9.1 points)	8.3%	9.1%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	4.3% (±6.7 points)	4.0%	9.5%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 20.8% of renting households.

35.5% of rented homes in Yelm cost $2,000 or more a month.

Yelm against Thurston County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Yelm	Thurston County	Washington	United States
Median gross rent	$1,626 (±$348)	$1,736 (±$30)	$1,760 (±$7)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	1,160 (±247)	37,154 (±1,235)	1,070,508 (±7,137)	42,849,984

In Yelm, median gross rent is not measurably different from Thurston County ($1,736).

It is not measurably different from Washington ($1,760).

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

In Thurston County, Yelm ranks 4 of 11 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 195 of 417.

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

How rent in Yelm 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	$1,373 (±$145)	$1,626 (±$348)	+18.4%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	37.4% (±6.7 points)	33.4% (±6.0 points)	−4.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	1.2% (±2.0 points)	0.0% (±3.1 points)	−1.2 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 Yelm

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Yelm
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Yelm	—	$1,626 (±$348)	—
North Yelm	2.2 mi	$1,464 (±$183)	Not measurably different
Rainier	4.1 mi	$1,227 (±$751)	Not measurably different
Roy	5.8 mi	$2,227 (±$269)	Higher
Tanglewilde	10.0 mi	$1,852 (±$212)	Not measurably different
Lacey	10 mi	$1,870 (±$51)	Not measurably different
Fort Lewis	11 mi	$2,282 (±$21)	Higher
DuPont	11 mi	$2,322 (±$96)	Higher
Tenino	12 mi	$1,400 (±$255)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Roy, WA ($2,227), Fort Lewis, WA ($2,282), DuPont, WA ($2,322).

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

Median gross rent across Thurston County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Lacey	$1,870 (±$51)
2	Tanglewilde	$1,852 (±$212)
3	Tumwater	$1,779 (±$65)
4	Yelm	$1,626 (±$348)
5	Olympia	$1,599 (±$57)
6	North Yelm	$1,464 (±$183)
7	Grand Mound	$1,426 (±$281)
8	Tenino	$1,400 (±$255)
9	Bucoda	$1,338 (±$244)
10	Rainier	$1,227 (±$751)

Showing 10 of 11 places in Thurston 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 Yelm

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 Yelm, 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 Yelm beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

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

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Yelm

What is the average rent in Yelm, WA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Yelm is $1,626 (±$348) 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 Yelm?

In Yelm, the median gross rent went from $1,373 in 2015–2019 to $1,626 in 2020–2024 (+18.4%).

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 Yelm cost more than $2,000 a month?

35.5% of rented homes in Yelm have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 12.7% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Yelm higher than in Thurston County?

In Yelm, median gross rent is not measurably different from Thurston County ($1,736).

It is not measurably different from Washington ($1,760).

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 Yelm city, Washington (place:80220, in state:53).

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.