Rental Market News
U.S. Asking Rents Rose 0.4% in February—A Small Increase, But the First in 6 Months
Landlords may have more leeway to raise rents next year because apartment construction is slowing, which could eventually lead to more renters than vacant units.
D.C. Rents Up 2.7% in February Following 3 Months of Declines; Too Soon to Tell if Whether Federal Job Cuts Will Affect the Market
The median rent in the District of Columbia rose 2.7% year over year in February, following three months of declines. Rents have been falling most

A Minimum-Wage Worker Would Have to Work 106 Hours a Week to Afford the Typical U.S. Apartment
That’s down from a peak of 125 hours when rents hit a record high in 2022. New Hampshire’s minimum-wage workers have to toil longest to
Austin Asking Rents Drop 16% in January—More Than Any Other Major Metro—And Are Now $400 Below Their Record High
Nationwide, the median asking rent was little changed from a year earlier, down 0.1% to $1,599. But rents may inch up if demand outstrips supply
Downtown Seattle Rents Rise for the First Time in 17 Months as Amazon Workers Go Back to the Office Full Time
The median asking rent for an apartment in downtown Seattle grew 2.5% year over year in December to $2,000—the first rise in 17 months. Seattle
Renters Need to Earn $63,680 to Afford the Typical U.S. Apartment—the Lowest Amount in 3 Years
Renters need to earn $63,680 to afford the median asking rent for a U.S. apartment—the lowest income required since early 2022. Texas metros Austin, Houston
The Single-Family Rental Is On the Decline
A record 33% of U.S. rentals are in large multifamily buildings, while 31% are single-family homes—a record low. As recently as 2021, single-family homes made
Typical Retail Worker Earns $37,000 Less Than Needed to Afford Typical Apartment
The typical retail worker earns $34,000 per year, or 52% less than they would need to afford the typical apartment. Rental affordability has improved slightly
New Apartments Are Increasingly Likely to Get Snapped Up Quickly As Construction Slows
48% of apartments built in Q1 were rented within three months, up from 47% in Q4 2024 and 46% in Q3 2024. As the balance
U.S. Asking Rents Rise Most Since 2022 As Apartment Construction Slows
Asking rents climbed 3% in August as slowing supply and robust demand gave landlords more bargaining power; the number of new apartments hitting the market
U.S. Homeowner Population Stops Growing for First Time in Nearly a Decade
The number of homeowner households fell 0.1% year over year in the second quarter—a small decline, but the first since 2016. Meanwhile, the number of
Permits to Build U.S. Apartments Have Fallen 23% Since the Pandemic Construction Boom
Developers obtained permits to build 12.8 multifamily housing units for every 10,000 people in the U.S. over the past year—down from an average of 16.7