Rental Market News
Asking Rents Tick Up 0.6%, With East Coast and Midwest Metros Posting Biggest Increases
The median asking rent rose 0.6% year over year in September to $1,634, but was down 0.2% month over month. Washington, D.C. recorded the biggest
Trump vs Harris: Renters Debate Who Is Better for Housing Affordability
Roughly half of surveyed renters think Kamala Harris would be the best choice to make housing more affordable, while about one-third think Donald Trump would
Newly Built Apartments Are Starting to Fill Up Faster, But At a Slower Pace Than Last Year
54% of U.S. apartments that were completed in the first quarter rented within three months, up from 47% a quarter earlier. Newly-built studio apartments rented
Asking Rents for New Apartments Drop 6% to Lowest Level Since 2022, as Finished Buildings Soar
The asking rent for a new apartment fell to $1,746 in the second quarter, down 6.2% from a year ago. One-bedroom apartments fell the most,
Typical Swing State Renter Earns 17% Less Than Needed to Afford Typical Apartment—But That’s an Improvement From the Last Presidential Election
During the last election cycle, the typical swing state renter household earned 21% less than they needed to afford the median priced apartment. Still, many
Asking Rents Rose the Most in Over a Year in August, But Remain Below Record Highs Hit Two Years Earlier
The median asking rent climbed for the fifth consecutive month, up 0.9% year over year to $1,645. Rents dropped 17.9% in Austin—more than any other
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