| Document and Entity Information | 12 Months Ended |
| Dec. 31, 2022 | |
| Cover [Abstract] | |
| Document Type | DEF 14A |
| Amendment Flag | false |
| Entity Registrant Name | MID AMERICA APARTMENT COMMUNITIES INC |
| Entity Central Index Key | 0000912595 |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | 12 Months Ended | ||
| Dec. 31, 2022 USD ($) $ / shares | Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($) $ / shares | Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) $ / shares | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Pay vs Performance [Table Text Block] | PAY VERSUS PERFORMANCE In accordance with rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, we provide the following disclosure regarding executive CAP and certain MAA performance for the fiscal years listed below. You should refer to the Compensation Disclosure and Analysis Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based On: Year (a) Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO (b) Compensation Actually Paid to PEO (c) Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs (d) Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs (e) Total Shareholder Return (f) Peer Group Total Shareholder Return (g) Net Income (in thousands) (h) Company Selected Measure Core FFO per Share (i) 2020 $4,725,312 $ 4,657,228 $ 1,959,200 $ 1,950,573 $ 99.32 $ 88.07 $ 264,015 $ 6.43 2021 $7,667,655 $ 22,312,216 $ 2,855,123 $ 8,092,843 $ 184.54 $ 142.47 $ 550,702 $ 7.01 2022 $8,369,017 $ 2,852,716 $ 3,144,347 $ 1,269,983 $ 129.63 $ 96.76 $ 654,776 $ 8.50 Column (b): Represents the Total amount in the Summary Compensation Table for Mr. Bolton, our CEO, for all years shown. Column (c): CAP to Mr. Bolton, our CEO, was calculated as outlined below. PEO 2020 2021 2022 SCT Total Compensation $ 4,725,312 $ 7,667,655 $ 8,369,017 Less: Stock and Option Award Values Reported in SCT (2,852,176) (3,742,806) (4,123,473) Plus: Fair Value for Stock and Option Awards Granted 3,737,339 9,658,031 3,478,219 Change in Fair Value of Outstanding Unvested Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years 277,089 7,960,118 (4,189,587) Change in Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years that Vested (1,230,336) 769,218 (681,460) Less: Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards Forfeited - - - Less: Aggregate Change in Actuarial Present Value of Accumulated Benefit Under Pension Plans - - - Plus: Aggregate Service Cost and Prior Service Cost for Pension Plans - - - CAP $ 4,657,228 $ 22,312,216 $ 2,852,716 Column (d): Represents the average Total amount in the Summary Compensation Table for the Non-PEO NEOs for each respective year. In 2020, our NEOs, other than the CEO, were Messrs. Campbell, DelPriore and Grimes, and Melanie Carpenter. In 2021 and 2022, our NEOs, other than the CEO, were Messrs. Campbell, DelPriore, Grimes and Hill. Column (e): Average CAP to each year’s Non-PEO NEOs was calculated as outlined below. Average of NEOs 2020 2021 2022 SCT Total Compensation $ 1,959,200 $ 2,855,123 $ 3,144,347 Less: Stock and Option Award Values Reported in SCT (1,059,644) (1,258,533) (1,253,096) Plus: Fair Value for Stock and Option Awards Granted 1,389,290 3,247,309 1,056,848 Change in Fair Value of Outstanding Unvested Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years 107,852 2,968,733 (1,418,158) Change in Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years that Vested (446,125) 280,211 (259,958) Less: Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards Forfeited - - - Less: Aggregate Change in Actuarial Present Value of Accumulated Benefit Under Pension Plans - - - Plus: Aggregate Service Cost and Prior Service Cost for Pension Plans - - - CAP $ 1,950,573 $ 8,092,843 $ 1,269,983 Column (f): Represents the cumulative value of $100 invested in MAA on December 31, 2019 through the last day of each respective year. Column (g): Represents the cumulative value of $100 invested in the Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Apartment Index, (the comparative index used in our incentive plans for performance share grants tied to multi-year relative TSR), on December 31, 2019 through the last day of each respective year. Column (h): Represents the Net Income of MAA for each respective year, as expressed in thousands. Column (i): Besides the relative 3-Year TSR metric in our incentive plans for NEOs, the largest performance compensation metric is Core FFO per share, a key metric for assessing our overall financial performance and the primary award financial metric within the AIP plan for our NEOs. For a reconciliation of Core FFO per Share to our financial statements see pages 94-95. | ||
| Company Selected Measure Name | Core FFO per Share | ||
| Named Executive Officers, Footnote [Text Block] | Column (d): Represents the average Total amount in the Summary Compensation Table for the Non-PEO NEOs for each respective year. In 2020, our NEOs, other than the CEO, were Messrs. Campbell, DelPriore and Grimes, and Melanie Carpenter. In 2021 and 2022, our NEOs, other than the CEO, were Messrs. Campbell, DelPriore, Grimes and Hill. | ||
| Peer Group Issuers, Footnote [Text Block] | Column (g): Represents the cumulative value of $100 invested in the Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Apartment Index, (the comparative index used in our incentive plans for performance share grants tied to multi-year relative TSR), on December 31, 2019 through the last day of each respective year. | ||
| PEO Total Compensation Amount | $ 8,369,017 | $ 7,667,655 | $ 4,725,312 |
| PEO Actually Paid Compensation Amount | $ 2,852,716 | 22,312,216 | 4,657,228 |
| Adjustment To PEO Compensation, Footnote [Text Block] | Column (c): CAP to Mr. Bolton, our CEO, was calculated as outlined below. PEO 2020 2021 2022 SCT Total Compensation $ 4,725,312 $ 7,667,655 $ 8,369,017 Less: Stock and Option Award Values Reported in SCT (2,852,176) (3,742,806) (4,123,473) Plus: Fair Value for Stock and Option Awards Granted 3,737,339 9,658,031 3,478,219 Change in Fair Value of Outstanding Unvested Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years 277,089 7,960,118 (4,189,587) Change in Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years that Vested (1,230,336) 769,218 (681,460) Less: Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards Forfeited - - - Less: Aggregate Change in Actuarial Present Value of Accumulated Benefit Under Pension Plans - - - Plus: Aggregate Service Cost and Prior Service Cost for Pension Plans - - - CAP $ 4,657,228 $ 22,312,216 $ 2,852,716 | ||
| Non-PEO NEO Average Total Compensation Amount | $ 3,144,347 | 2,855,123 | 1,959,200 |
| Non-PEO NEO Average Compensation Actually Paid Amount | $ 1,269,983 | 8,092,843 | 1,950,573 |
| Adjustment to Non-PEO NEO Compensation Footnote [Text Block] | Column (e): Average CAP to each year’s Non-PEO NEOs was calculated as outlined below. Average of NEOs 2020 2021 2022 SCT Total Compensation $ 1,959,200 $ 2,855,123 $ 3,144,347 Less: Stock and Option Award Values Reported in SCT (1,059,644) (1,258,533) (1,253,096) Plus: Fair Value for Stock and Option Awards Granted 1,389,290 3,247,309 1,056,848 Change in Fair Value of Outstanding Unvested Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years 107,852 2,968,733 (1,418,158) Change in Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years that Vested (446,125) 280,211 (259,958) Less: Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards Forfeited - - - Less: Aggregate Change in Actuarial Present Value of Accumulated Benefit Under Pension Plans - - - Plus: Aggregate Service Cost and Prior Service Cost for Pension Plans - - - CAP $ 1,950,573 $ 8,092,843 $ 1,269,983 | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Total Shareholder Return [Text Block] | Below are graphs that reflect the relationship between CAP to our CEO and other NEOs against the market and financial metrics included in the Pay versus Performance table on the previous page. The relationship between CAP to our PEO and Average CAP to our Non-PEO NEOs to the Value of an Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based on cumulative TSR and cumulative Peer Group TSR is presented in the following chart. The relationship between CAP to our PEO and Average CAP to our Non-PEO NEOs to Core FFO per Share is presented in the following chart. | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Net Income [Text Block] | Below are graphs that reflect the relationship between CAP to our CEO and other NEOs against the market and financial metrics included in the Pay versus Performance table on the previous page. The relationship between CAP to our PEO and Average CAP to our | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Company Selected Measure [Text Block] | Below are graphs that reflect the relationship between CAP to our CEO and other NEOs against the market and financial metrics included in the Pay versus Performance table on the previous page. The relationship between CAP to our PEO and Average CAP to our Non-PEO NEOs to the Value of an Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based on cumulative TSR and cumulative Peer Group TSR is presented in the following chart. The relationship between CAP to our PEO and Average CAP to our Non-PEO NEOs to Core FFO per Share is presented in the following chart. | ||
| Total Shareholder Return Vs Peer Group [Text Block] | Below are graphs that reflect the relationship between CAP to our CEO and other NEOs against the market and financial metrics included in the Pay versus Performance table on the previous page. The relationship between CAP to our PEO and Average CAP to our Non-PEO NEOs to the Value of an Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based on cumulative TSR and cumulative Peer Group TSR is presented in the following chart. The relationship between CAP to our PEO and Average CAP to our Non-PEO NEOs to Core FFO per Share is presented in the following chart. | ||
| Tabular List [Table Text Block] | The below list of financial measures represents the measures the Compensation Committee felt were the most important measures in linking executive CAP to our performance during 2022. Consequently, these measures were used in our compensation incentive plans to link awards to performance realized. 3-Year TSR of MAA versus 3-Year TSR of the Dow Jones US Real Estate Apartment Index Annual Core FFO per Share Annual SS NOI Growth Annual FAD | ||
| Total Shareholder Return Amount | $ 129.63 | 184.54 | 99.32 |
| Peer Group Total Shareholder Return Amount | 96.76 | 142.47 | 88.07 |
| Net Income (Loss) | $ 654,776,000 | $ 550,702,000 | $ 264,015,000 |
| Company Selected Measure Amount | $ / shares | 8.5 | 7.01 | 6.43 |
| PEO Name | Mr. Bolton | Mr. Bolton | Mr. Bolton |
| Measure [Axis]: 1 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Measure Name | 3-Year TSR of MAA versus 3-Year TSR of the Dow Jones US Real Estate Apartment Index | ||
| Measure [Axis]: 2 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Measure Name | Annual Core FFO per Share | ||
| Non-GAAP Measure Description [Text Block] | Column (i): Besides the relative 3-Year TSR metric in our incentive plans for NEOs, the largest performance compensation metric is Core FFO per share, a key metric for assessing our overall financial performance and the primary award financial metric within the AIP plan for our NEOs. For a reconciliation of Core FFO per Share to our financial statements see pages 94-95. | ||
| Measure [Axis]: 3 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Measure Name | Annual SS NOI Growth | ||
| Measure [Axis]: 4 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Measure Name | Annual FAD | ||
| PEO [Member] | Stock and Option Award Values Reported in SCT [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ (4,123,473) | $ (3,742,806) | $ (2,852,176) |
| PEO [Member] | Fair Value for Stock and Option Awards Granted [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 3,478,219 | 9,658,031 | 3,737,339 |
| PEO [Member] | Change in Fair Value of Outstanding Unvested Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (4,189,587) | 7,960,118 | 277,089 |
| PEO [Member] | Change in Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years That Vested [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (681,460) | 769,218 | (1,230,336) |
| PEO [Member] | Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards Forfeited [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PEO [Member] | Aggregate Change in Actuarial Present Value of Accumulated Benefit Under Pension Plans [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PEO [Member] | Aggregate Service Cost and Prior Service Cost for Pension Plans [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Stock and Option Award Values Reported in SCT [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (1,253,096) | (1,258,533) | (1,059,644) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Fair Value for Stock and Option Awards Granted [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 1,056,848 | 3,247,309 | 1,389,290 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Change in Fair Value of Outstanding Unvested Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (1,418,158) | 2,968,733 | 107,852 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Change in Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years That Vested [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (259,958) | 280,211 | (446,125) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards Forfeited [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Aggregate Change in Actuarial Present Value of Accumulated Benefit Under Pension Plans [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Aggregate Service Cost and Prior Service Cost for Pension Plans [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ 0 | $ 0 | $ 0 |
