At $1,430 in June 2026, Zillow’s ZORI for this ZIP presents a deceleration-without-decline tension. Its exact same-month annualized change was 2.58% over one year, 4.11% over three years, and 5.92% over five years. ZORI is a ZIP-level typical observed asking-rent index blended across rental types, rather than a quoted lease price for a stated bedroom count or building. Each horizon is positive, confirming the longer upward direction, yet the latest pace breaks from the faster multi-year path by slowing materially. The current index is thus a marketwide asking-rent signal with a positive but cooling historical backdrop, not evidence that every available listing or renewal changes at the same rate.
That cooling occurs in a complete local history rather than a fragment: 122 ZORI observations produced 121 consecutive monthly returns with 100% coverage through the stated endpoint. Annualized monthly-return variability was 2.09%, while the maximum drawdown was -1.76%. Those backward-looking measurements suggest that a single current ZORI snapshot has comparatively steady historical support, although no index can ensure a particular listing outcome. The transparent national discovery ranks among history-eligible ZIPs were 188 for stability, 884 for momentum, and 214 for balanced performance, where lower ranks are higher. They summarize past paths only and are neither forecasts nor investment recommendations.
Source definitions explain why the current index should not be read as a direct substitute for survey or administrative figures. The five-digit 36117 label is both Zillow’s ZIP market identifier and the Census ZCTA match; a ZCTA is a statistical area and is not identical to a USPS delivery ZIP. The ACS 2024 five-year survey reports a $1,267 median gross rent for occupied renter homes and includes selected utilities. That is 12.9% below the ZORI level, a scope difference rather than a price gap between like-for-like units. HUD’s FY2026 local two-bedroom FMR/SAFMR standard is $1,300, and ZORI is 10.0% above it. HUD FMR/SAFMR is an administrative bedroom-specific standard, not asking rent.
Instead of treating the HUD benchmark as an observed listing, the bedroom view scales the ZIP ZORI by the local HUD ladder. The resulting modelled monthly estimates are $1,210 for a studio, $1,221 for one bedroom, $1,430 for two bedrooms, $1,837 for three bedrooms, and $2,167 for four bedrooms. These are modelled estimates, never measured bedroom rents: the procedure preserves the local HUD bedroom relationships while anchoring the overall level to ZORI. A reader comparing an actual home should first confirm its marketed bedroom classification and determine whether its stated rent includes utilities, fees, furnishings, or concessions that make the index comparison incomplete.
Income and burden measures frame a separate affordability tension. At a 30% gross-income screen, the annual income required to cover the current monthly ZORI is $57,200. Against the matched ZCTA’s $74,720 median household income, the asking-rent-to-income arithmetic is 23.0%. This is arithmetic, not advice or an applicant qualification rule; household income and a blended asking-rent index do not describe a specific applicant. Separately, ACS estimates 3,536 of 8,154 renter households, or 43.4%, faced gross-rent burdens at or above the threshold. That survey measure describes occupied renter homes across the ZCTA and cannot determine whether any current unit or tenant is burdened.
Housing composition places these measures in an area-level inventory frame. The matched ZCTA’s vacancy rate is 10.2%, representing 2,502 vacant homes, of which 994 were classified vacant for rent; neither figure demonstrates that a particular property is available, competitively priced, or lease-ready. The stock includes 17,709 single-family units and 1,732 units in large multifamily structures, while renters account for 36.9% of occupied homes. For wider context only, the City of Montgomery context rent is $1,342.86, the Montgomery County context rent is $1,364, and the Montgomery, AL metro context rent is $1,429; all are wider geographic comparisons rather than ZIP observations.
Dates, geographies, and measurement rules limit any direct translation into a property decision. The Zillow value is a current ZIP index, ACS is a five-year ZCTA survey, HUD is a fiscal-year administrative standard, and city, county, and metro figures are context only. History describes a completed series and does not reveal future rent movement; vacancy and burden similarly cannot prove conditions at one address. Before using these figures to assess a listing, verify the property address and geographic inclusion, advertised and effective rent, bedroom count, lease term, utility treatment, recurring fees, concessions, availability date, property type, and the relevant HUD geography. Does the specific advertised home have the documentation needed for a clean, source-appropriate comparison?