Lynn, MA · who rents here

Who rents in Lynn — and what they actually pay

49.6% of Lynn households rent rather than own. Here's what U.S. Census data says they earn, pay, and how stretched they are — alongside today's market rate.

49.6%
of households rent (18,021 of 36,328)
$1,612
median gross rent renters actually pay
33.9%
of income spent on rent — rent-burdened

What renters pay vs the market rate

Two honest numbers, measuring two different things:

MeasureAmountWhat it captures
Census median gross rent$1,612/moWhat current Lynn renters pay — rent plus utilities, across all lease vintages, averaged over 2019–2023 ACS 5-year
ZORI market rate today$2,356/moWhat a typical unit rents for on the open market right now (rent only)

The market rate runs about $744 (46%) higher than the typical rent on the Census books. That gap is real but it is not a single clean discount: part of it is a genuine sitting-tenant effect (households on older leases pay less than today's asking rents), and part is timing — the Census figure is a 2019–2023 ACS 5-year average, so it lags the market, and it includes utilities while the market index does not. Treat it as a range, not a precise number. The honest takeaway: if you already rent in Lynn you likely pay less than a new mover would today, and renewing usually beats re-renting at market.

Income and affordability

Median household income in Lynn is $74,715. At that income, the rule-of-thumb affordable rent (30% of income) is about $1,868/month — and the typical renter household actually spends 33.9% of income on rent, over the 30% "rent-burdened" line.

By ZIP code

ZIPAreaRentersMedian gross rentMedian income
01901Downtown Lynn / Central Square97%$1,193$27,561
01902East Lynn / Lynn Common59%$1,571$66,755
01905West Lynn49%$1,749$84,341

Renter share = renter-occupied ÷ all occupied homes. ZIP figures use ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but don't exactly match postal ZIP boundaries.

Source & caveats

Renter share, median gross rent, rent burden, and income come from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2019–2023 ACS 5-year) — a public dataset. "Gross rent" includes utilities; the market figures elsewhere on this site come from Zillow's ZORI and do not. ACS 5-year estimates carry margins of error we don't display here, and they describe households that already live here, not what's listed today. For the current-market picture, see the Lynn rent overview; for full sourcing, the methodology.