How Does a University District Median Describe a Postal Area Where Renters Hold Most Homes? Reading the Rents, the Young Residents and the Large Buildings

Who lives in the University District, and how do renters and owners divide the homes?

The population is 49,767, with a margin of error of 1,967. Of those, 5,172 are under 18, 10.4%, 20,371 are 18 to 24, 40.9%, 9,207 are 25 to 34, 18.5%, 4,975 are 35 to 44, 10.0%, 6,107 are 45 to 64, 12.3%, and 3,935 are 65 or older, 7.9%. The 18 to 24 group is the largest of any age band by a wide margin, and the two groups under 35 together are 59.4% of residents.

Of 18,756 occupied homes, 12,872, or 68.6%, are rented and 5,884, or 31.4%, are owned. There are about 2.2 renter homes for every owner home, computed from the Census counts. Renters arrived recently: of 12,872, 2,117 were taken up in 2023 or later, 6,141 in 2020 to 2022, 4,099 in the 2010s, 271 in the 2000s, 111 in the 1990s and 133 before 1990. Those who arrived in 2020 or later are 8,258, or 64.2%.

Owners are longer settled. Of 5,884 owner homes, 138 were taken up in 2023 or later, 882 in 2020 to 2022, 2,226 in the 2010s, 1,196 in the 2000s, 686 in the 1990s and 756 before 1990. That puts 24.5% of owners in place since before 2000 and 17.3% arriving in 2020 or later. Owners are a stable core within a population that changes fast.

Vacancy is modest. Of 2,495 vacant units, 1,465 are for rent, 583 are rented but not yet occupied, 78 are for sale only, 63 are held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use and 306 are vacant for other reasons. Vacant units are 11.7% of all units, and 2,048 of them, or 82.1%, are on the rental side, which is far more than the 78 for sale only.

The brief draws one cautious inference and labels it as such. A large share of residents aged 18 to 24 and a large renter share together suggest a population with many students and young renters, and the Census figures here do not measure enrollment or the status of any household. The point for an owner is that the people nearby change more often than owners do, and a sale that avoids showings and open houses involves fewer of them.

A seller reading these figures should avoid a common trap. A median sale price is the middle of what buyers paid, and in a postal area with a large rental market it is a price for the smaller owner group only. Neither a median nor the rent figures describe a particular house. The only evidence that does is the closed sales of homes with the same type, size, age, lot and condition, and those are what a seller should ask to see before setting a price.

Sources as cited. Shares are computed from the Census counts.

Why do larger buildings and newer homes matter in the University District?

Larger buildings hold most of the units. Of 21,251 units, 5,040, or 23.7%, are in buildings of fifty or more units, 3,947, or 18.6%, in buildings of twenty to forty-nine, 2,013 in buildings of ten to nineteen and 1,345 in buildings of five to nine. Together that is 12,345 units, or 58.1%. A further 945 are in buildings of three or four units and 446 in buildings of two.

Detached houses are fewer than a third of units. The Census counts 6,584 detached houses, 31.0%, and 786 attached houses, 3.7%. It also counts 89 mobile homes and 56 boats, recreational vehicles or vans used as homes, which are rare but present. The Census table counts units in structures and does not say which are condominiums and which are rental apartments, so the brief makes no claim about the split.

The stock is a mix of old and new. Of 21,251 units, 5,817, or 27.4%, were built before 1940, 1,433 in the 1940s, 1,503 in the 1950s, 1,182 in the 1960s and 1,339 in the 1970s. Another 1,344 were built in the 1980s, 1,599 in the 1990s, 2,327 in the 2000s, 4,273 in the 2010s and 434 in 2020 or later. Homes built before 1980 total 11,274, or 53.1%, and units built in the 2010s or later total 4,707, or 22.1%.

Bedroom counts show who lives where. Of 12,872 renter homes, 4,226 have no separate bedroom, 32.8%, 3,125 have one, 24.3%, 2,898 have two, 22.5%, 1,480 have three, 760 have four and 383 have five or more. Owners live in larger homes: of 5,884, 1,978 have three bedrooms, 1,893 have four, 709 have five or more, 985 have two, 191 have one and 128 have none, so three or more is 4,580 homes, or 77.8%.

For a seller, the stock matters in two ways. A house sold in a postal area where most units are in larger buildings is compared with houses and not with the units around it, so the postal-area median is not a good guide. And a unit in a larger building is compared with other units, where the building's own rules and finances matter. The brief makes no claim about any building and names none.

The mix of building types shapes every median here. Houses, attached homes and units in small and large buildings all sit in one postal area, and the sale pages count them together. A seller of a house should not read a median that includes units as a guide, and a seller of a unit should not read it as a guide either. The sources give no median by home type, so the brief states none, and a seller should ask for sales of the same type.

Sources as cited. Shares are computed from the Census counts.

How heavy is rent in the University District, and what do rental listings show?

The rent burden is the plainest figure in the table. Of 12,872 renter homes, 986 have no computed rent share, leaving 11,886. Of those, 648 pay less than 10% of income, 696 pay 10% to 14.9%, 1,046 pay 15% to 19.9%, 1,004 pay 20% to 24.9% and 979 pay 25% to 29.9%. Then 629 pay 30% to 34.9%, 1,102 pay 35% to 39.9%, 1,037 pay 40% to 49.9% and 4,745 pay 50% or more.

Taken together, 7,513 renter homes, or 63.2% of those computed, pay 30% or more of income on rent, and 4,745, or 39.9%, pay half or more. The 50% band is by far the largest of the nine. The Census does not say why, and the brief draws no conclusion, and the Census measures neither enrollment nor student status.

Rents are rising. Realtor.com shows a median asking rent of $2,100, up 20% on the year, which implies about $1,750 a year before, and up 90.91% on three years, which implies about $1,100. The Census median gross rent is $1,849, plus or minus $56, so the asking median is 13.6% above it, taking the Census as the base. A rise of 90.91% in three years is flagged as a large figure for a median of a small number of listings.

Rental supply is rising too. Realtor.com shows 279 rental properties, up 51.56% on the year, which implies about 184 a year before, and up 59.02% on three years, which implies about 175. Against 1,465 units counted by the Census as vacant for rent, the listing count is lower, but the two count different things, since the Census is a five-year survey and the page counts active listings at one date.

The median household income is $74,349, with a margin of error of $7,201. Among owners with a mortgage, 1,081 of 3,806 computed, or 28.4%, pay 30% or more of income on owner costs and 350, or 9.2%, pay half or more. Of owners without a mortgage, 432 of 2,055 computed, or 21.0%, pay 30% or more. Owners carry a lighter burden than renters, though still heavy for some.

Rent figures are best read as a description of the rental market and not as a guide to an owner's price. Asking rents cover only the homes advertised at one date, and the Census gross rent covers every renter. The gap between the two is a sign that new leases cost more than existing ones, though the sources do not prove it. An owner who also rents out a home should look at local rents for homes of the same size and age before drawing any conclusion.

Sources as cited. Shares and ratios are computed from the Census counts; renter homes with no computed rent share are excluded.

What do the sale pages show for the University District, and where do they disagree?

Both price pages are dated August 2026, so neither is the oldest. Redfin's median sale price is $1,149,752 for the three months ending August 2026, and Realtor.com's median sold price is $1,170,250 for August. Realtor.com's sold median is 1.8% above Redfin's, taking Redfin as the base. Realtor.com's listing median is 20.2% below Redfin's sale median, taking Redfin as the base, and the Census median owner value is 14.1% above Redfin's, taking Redfin as the base.

The year-on-year changes point in different directions. Redfin's median is down 0.022%, which implies about $1,150,005 a year before. Realtor.com's sold median is up 7.12% on the year, which implies about $1,092,466, and up 1.72% on three years, which implies about $1,150,462. Its listing median is down 7.80% on the year, which implies about $994,577, and down 2.94% on three years, which implies about $944,776. A listing median below the sold median means the homes on the market in a month need not match the homes that sold, and the pages do not say how they differ.

Price per square foot is where the pages conflict. Redfin shows $612, up 23.3% on the year, beside a median sale price that is flat. Realtor.com shows $578 for listings, up 1.07% on the year, which implies about $572 a year before, and down 0.50% on three years, which implies about $581. A rise of 23.3% beside a flat median price is flagged as implausible and is not relied on.

On pace, Redfin shows a median of 15 days on the market, five more than a year before, with the average home selling about 1% below list and going pending in about 11 days, and hot homes selling around list in about 4 days. It shows 98.9% for sale-to-list, down 2.2 points, 21.1% of homes sold above list, down 6.3 points, and 26.0% of homes with price drops, up 0.7 points. Realtor.com shows a median of 44 days, up 16.67% on the year, which implies about 38 days a year before, and up 32.43% on three years, which implies about 33.

Realtor.com shows 124 active listings, up 14.78% on the year, which implies about 108 a year before, and up 109.52% on three years, which implies about 59. Its own text says active listings are down 1.49% on the year, which conflicts with its table, so the table is used and the conflict is flagged. Redfin shows 78 homes sold, down 26.2%. More homes listed and fewer sold is a pattern worth a seller's attention, though the brief does not forecast.

The spread around the median matters as much as the median. Some homes sell in days, often with more than one offer, while others sit for months and then cut their price. The pages report medians and not the spread, so a seller with a fixed date cannot read the risk of a long wait from them. A better guide is the days on market of homes of the same kind sold in the last year, which an owner can ask for and compare with the page figures here. Readers comparing markets can also read the Magnolia brief and the Kirkland brief.

Sources as cited. Earlier values and differences are computed from the published percentages.

What should a University District owner ask before choosing a listing or a private sale?

A seller should keep four questions apart. What do closed sales of homes of the same type, size and age show, given that the area is mostly renters and large buildings and the medians come from a mix? How long might a listing take, with a median of about two weeks to six weeks? What would inspections and repairs cost on a home of this age? And what date does the owner need to close? The first question is about price, the second about time, the third about cost and the fourth about the next home.

For illustration only, a total commission of 1%, 3% or 5% on a sale of $450,000 would be $4,500, $13,500 or $22,500. On $725,000 it would be $7,250, $21,750 or $36,250, and on $1,200,000 it would be $12,000, $36,000 or $60,000. At the Census median owner value of $1,312,100, the same percentages come to $13,121, $39,363 and $65,605. These are arithmetic and not quoted rates, since commissions are negotiated.

The five benefits of a private sale to Maison Off-Market are privacy, because there are no showings and no neighbors talking about the sale, closing dates that can be flexible and give time to find a new home, no commission costs, no closing costs and no inspections or repairs. Where many neighbors rent and change often, an owner may value a sale that is not on view. The brief does not claim a private sale always beats a listing.

Maison Off-Market buys luxury homes and estates directly from their owners and speaks only to sellers. An owner who wants to see what a direct purchase would look like, with no public listing and no showings, can use the contact form below and ask for an offer before deciding.

Sources as cited. Fee figures are arithmetic and not quoted rates.

Methodology and limitations

Each page's date, title and place were read before use. The Redfin page's window is the three months ending August 2026 and the Realtor.com page has key indicators as of August 2026, so neither is older. The Redfin price per square foot, up 23.3% beside a flat median sale price, is flagged as implausible. The Realtor.com text that says active listings are down 1.49% conflicts with its table, which shows up 14.78%. The Realtor.com rent change of 90.91% in three years is flagged as a large figure for a small set of listings. Realtor.com's neighborhood tables are not used. Only a city-level Zillow page was found, so no Zillow figure is used. The Census figures are five-year survey estimates with margins of error, are for a postal area and not for the neighborhood alone, and are shared with another post about the same postal area. Shares exclude renter homes with no computed rent share. Earlier values are computed from published percentages and are approximate. No figure here is a forecast.

Conclusion

The record for the University District, as far as the pages allow, is a postal area where renters hold about two of every three homes, where young residents are the largest age group, where most units are in larger buildings, where rents are rising and rental listings are growing, and where the price pages agree on a median near $1.15 million for a smaller group of owners. For an owner, the practical step is to ask for sales of homes of the same type and size, compare the cost and risk of a listing with a direct offer, and decide how much of the showing, inspection and timing risk to carry.