Showing any bedrooms across tracked US markets.
US Rent Trends: $1,728/mo Median
What is the average rent in the US?
The median asking rent among 158,383 tracked apartment listings is $1,728 per month as of October 2026. The arithmetic mean is $4,005 per month. These are advertised rents, not the rents paid by every US household.
The US median asking rent is $1,728 per month as of October 2026. Rent changes appear when enough comparable history is available. Drawn from 158,383 live apartment listings across 1204 cities in 50 states and Washington, DC. Refreshed daily.
Live data snapshot
Based on 158,383 units in 1204 cities across 50 states and Washington, DC, as of October 24, 2026.
Is rent going up or down right now?
Twelve months of real monthly medians. No seasonal adjustment, no statistical smoothing. The dashed line shows how much real month-to-month movement gets erased by index smoothing.
Median rent over the last 8 months
Real monthly medians. No seasonal adjustment. No index smoothing.
The dashed line is our own series run through a 3-month average to show how index smoothing flattens real movement. It is not a third-party index.
Showing 8 months of available history.
Where is rent headed next?
Honest forward-looking math: take the recent monthly slope, add the prior-year same-month seasonality, project six months out, and shade an uncertainty band sized to recent volatility. This is not a model. It is what the data says if the recent pace holds.
Where the median is headed
Six-month projection from the recent slope and last year’s same-month seasonality. The shaded band is one standard deviation of recent monthly changes, an honest spread rather than a confidence claim.
Permit pulls slow in 2026, the multifamily delivery pipeline drains, and net migration into Sun Belt metros stays positive. New supply was the cooling force the last two years; that force eases.
The 2024-era construction wave finishes lease-up in late 2026, vacancy stays above the long-run 6.5% average, and concessions widen as landlords compete for renewals.
Is today's level normal?
Eighty years of US median rent, drawn from the Census decennial counts and the American Community Survey. The post-2020 spike is visible in nominal dollars and visible (but smaller) in inflation-adjusted dollars. Toggle the chart to see both.
US median rent, 1940 to today
Census decennial through 2000, then American Community Survey, then a CPI-anchored extension to 2026. Toggle between nominal dollars, today's dollars, or cumulative real growth.
| Year | Nominal | In 2026 dollars | Real change vs 1940 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $1,495 | $1,495 | +144.3% |
| 2025 | $1,456 | $1,473 | +140.7% |
| 2024 | $1,406 | $1,430 | +133.7% |
| 2023 | $1,348 | $1,410 | +130.4% |
| 2022 | $1,268 | $1,378 | +125.2% |
| 2021 | $1,191 | $1,392 | +127.5% |
| 2020 | $1,096 | $1,339 | +118.8% |
| 2019 | $1,097 | $1,356 | +121.6% |
| 2018 | $1,058 | $1,330 | +117.3% |
| 2015 | $928 | $1,240 | +102.6% |
| 2010 | $841 | $1,216 | +98.7% |
| 2000 | $602 | $1,112 | +81.7% |
| 1990 | $447 | $1,086 | +77.5% |
| 1980 | $243 | $935 | +52.8% |
| 1970 | $108 | $884 | +44.4% |
| 1960 | $71 | $762 | +24.5% |
| 1950 | $42 | $552 | -9.8% |
| 1940 | $27 | $612 | +0.0% |
Sources: US Census Bureau Decennial Census (1940 to 2000); American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates Table B25064 (2010 to 2023); BLS Consumer Price Index, Rent of Primary Residence (CUUR0000SEHA) used to extend to 2026. Updated 2026-05-24.
What does this mean for you?
Pick your state and bedroom size to see how your market lines up. Drop in your salary to see whether the typical apartment sits inside the federal 30% cost-burden threshold.
See your rent vs. the US average
Pick a state and a bedroom size. Drop in your monthly salary if you want the cost-burden math.
State-level numbers are bedroom-blended; the federal cost-burden threshold is 30% of gross annual income spent on rent. 14 additional states are still below the 50-property threshold; more states and data coming.
Rent by bedroom count
Studio at $1,540. 1-bedroom at $1,584. 2-bedroom at $1,900. 3-bedroom at $2,130. 4-bedroom at $2,200. The 1BR-to-2BR gap is the single most useful number when deciding whether to bring on a roommate: on a 50/50 split, the 2BR almost always wins.
Rent by bedroom count
Quartiles show where the middle 50% of each bedroom bucket lives. A wide P25 to P75 spread means the market is bimodal, value plus luxury, rather than clustered around one number.
Each bar spans the 25th to 75th percentile (the middle 50% of rents); the dot marks the median.
| Size | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,270 | $1,540 | $1,973 | 10,367 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,275 | $1,584 | $2,009 | 70,982 |
| 2 bedroom | $1,500 | $1,900 | $2,563 | 61,240 |
| 3 bedroom | $1,699 | $2,130 | $2,800 | 11,739 |
| 4+ bedroom | $1,477 | $2,200 | $2,960 | 1,023 |
Where the market actually sits
Collapsing the US rental market to one average hides nearly everything that matters. The histogram below is the actual shape of what is listed today, bucket by bucket.
Where the market actually sits
The biggest bucket is $1,400 to $2,000, holding 37.8% of 158,383 tracked units.
| Price band | Units | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $1,000 | 9,127 | 5.8% |
| $1,000 to $1,400 | 33,481 | 21.1% |
| $1,400 to $2,000 | 59,822 | 37.8% |
| $2,000 to $3,000 | 39,273 | 24.8% |
| $3,000 to $4,000 | 11,215 | 7.1% |
| $4,000 to $5,000 | 3,117 | 2.0% |
| $5,000 and up | 2,348 | 1.5% |
Median rent by state
State medians span roughly 3x from the cheapest to the most expensive. Tap any row to open that state's full rent trends page with city-by-city detail.
Median rent by state
Highest median first. States with 50+ tracked properties. Select a state for local rent trends.
| State | Median | P25 to P75 | Properties | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts 276 properties 2,730 units | $3,006 | $2,535–$3,619 | 276 | 2,730 |
| New Jersey 157 properties 1,432 units | $2,911 | $2,390–$4,220 | 157 | 1,432 |
| California 1,751 properties 14,163 units | $2,757 | $2,304–$3,350 | 1,751 | 14,163 |
| Connecticut 128 properties 1,311 units | $2,533 | $2,019–$3,057 | 128 | 1,311 |
| Virginia 266 properties 3,421 units | $2,235 | $1,782–$2,712 | 266 | 3,421 |
| New York 295 properties 1,896 units | $2,200 | $1,700–$3,650 | 295 | 1,896 |
| Illinois 253 properties 2,396 units | $2,138 | $1,762–$2,595 | 253 | 2,396 |
| Washington 313 properties 2,808 units | $2,074 | $1,688–$2,700 | 313 | 2,808 |
| Florida 755 properties 10,984 units | $2,052 | $1,683–$2,629 | 755 | 10,984 |
| Maryland 124 properties 1,848 units | $1,995 | $1,689–$2,335 | 124 | 1,848 |
| South Carolina 91 properties 1,511 units | $1,928 | $1,644–$2,360 | 91 | 1,511 |
| Colorado 316 properties 4,732 units | $1,897 | $1,621–$2,299 | 316 | 4,732 |
| Pennsylvania 95 properties 1,083 units | $1,889 | $1,663–$2,278 | 95 | 1,083 |
| Minnesota 241 properties 2,138 units | $1,819 | $1,515–$2,295 | 241 | 2,138 |
| Wisconsin 104 properties 1,030 units | $1,814 | $1,550–$2,451 | 104 | 1,030 |
| Oregon 184 properties 1,313 units | $1,796 | $1,575–$2,064 | 184 | 1,313 |
| Georgia 507 properties 7,978 units | $1,778 | $1,481–$2,166 | 507 | 7,978 |
| Tennessee 275 properties 4,166 units | $1,725 | $1,450–$2,142 | 275 | 4,166 |
| Nevada 82 properties 1,174 units | $1,686 | $1,499–$1,895 | 82 | 1,174 |
| Arizona 353 properties 4,832 units | $1,680 | $1,399–$1,979 | 353 | 4,832 |
| Idaho 67 properties 411 units | $1,679 | $1,505–$1,894 | 67 | 411 |
| Utah 229 properties 2,398 units | $1,645 | $1,450–$2,007 | 229 | 2,398 |
| Ohio 204 properties 2,302 units | $1,637 | $1,279–$1,999 | 204 | 2,302 |
| North Carolina 436 properties 7,338 units | $1,630 | $1,395–$1,995 | 436 | 7,338 |
| Michigan 244 properties 1,601 units | $1,549 | $1,249–$1,854 | 244 | 1,601 |
| Missouri 160 properties 1,834 units | $1,500 | $1,325–$1,885 | 160 | 1,834 |
| Arkansas 83 properties 952 units | $1,480 | $1,180–$1,820 | 83 | 952 |
| Texas 3,142 properties 56,771 units | $1,477 | $1,209–$1,830 | 3,142 | 56,771 |
| Indiana 172 properties 1,756 units | $1,423 | $1,176–$1,707 | 172 | 1,756 |
| New Mexico 198 properties 1,814 units | $1,384 | $1,195–$1,665 | 198 | 1,814 |
| Kansas 96 properties 904 units | $1,374 | $1,103–$1,845 | 96 | 904 |
| Kentucky 57 properties 665 units | $1,359 | $1,150–$1,570 | 57 | 665 |
| Louisiana 85 properties 577 units | $1,323 | $1,045–$1,734 | 85 | 577 |
| Alabama 156 properties 1,393 units | $1,299 | $1,090–$1,630 | 156 | 1,393 |
| Oklahoma 135 properties 1,121 units | $1,240 | $1,050–$1,505 | 135 | 1,121 |
| Mississippi 58 properties 385 units | $1,200 | $1,075–$1,400 | 58 | 385 |
| Iowa 141 properties 927 units | $1,133 | $940–$1,355 | 141 | 927 |
14 additional states are below the 50-property threshold today. More states and data coming as coverage expands.
Cheapest and most expensive cities
The single most expensive city in our rankings runs several times the cheapest, in the same country, in the same month. Tap any city to open its full rent trends page with neighborhood-level breakdowns.
10 cheapest markets
Minimum 3 tracked properties per city. Tap any city for its full rent trends page.
- 1 Davenport, IA $781
- 2 Bossier City, LA $857
- 3 Fargo, ND $871
- 4 Fort Smith, AR $877
- 5 Decatur, AL $908
- 6 Amarillo, TX $915
- 7 Albany, GA $917
- 8 Wichita Falls, TX $947
- 9 Gary, IN $957
- 10 Lawton, OK $963
10 most expensive markets
Minimum 3 tracked properties per city. Tap any city for its full rent trends page.
- 1 High Point, NC $1,235,887
- 2 Spokane, WA $1,047,155
- 3 Rochester, MN $569,771
- 4 Wichita, KS $423,730
- 5 Lawrence, KS $194,124
- 6 Auburn, WA $93,427
- 7 Newark, NJ $12,186
- 8 Newton, MA $11,984
- 9 Albuquerque, NM $9,911
- 10 Nashville, TN $7,242
Why every site quotes a different number
Zillow says one number. Apartment List says another. RentCafe says a third. The spread is not contradiction. It is a sample question, plus a methodology question, plus a timing question. Here is the head-to-head.
Why every site quotes a different US rent number
Search "average US rent" and you get figures from $1,370 to $2,054. The 50% gap is not contradiction; it is a sample question. Here is what each headline number actually measures.
| Source | Current | What it measures | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| average-rent.com | $1,728 | Median asking price of every live unit on tracked apartment leasing pages | Live |
| Zillow ZORI | $2,054 | Statistical estimate of typical rent for the middle of the market | March 2026 |
| Apartment List | $1,370 | Median rent estimate from a proprietary listing index | April 2026 |
| RentCafe (Yardi) | $1,750 | Average asking rent from a property-management database | May 2026 |
| Apartments.com | $1,641 | Median rent from the CoStar-owned listings network | April 2026 |
| Rent.com / Redfin | $1,607 | Median asking rent across 44 of the 50 largest metros | February 2026 |
| BLS CPI Rent of Primary Residence | Index, base 1982-84=100 | Government inflation gauge for the rent component of CPI-U | April 2026 |
It depends what you count
Single-family rentals run higher than multifamily. New-construction lease-up units run lower than the stabilized average. Whether a source includes one shifts the headline number by hundreds of dollars.
It depends how you count
A statistical model that interpolates "typical rent" produces a different number than a raw count of live listings. ZORI and Apartment List model. Our figure and Apartments.com count.
It depends when you count
Some sources are monthly snapshots, others rolling 3-month medians, others lagged government surveys. Three sources publishing in the same week can be measuring three different windows.
All competitor figures verified against the named source's public page on the date shown. Zillow, ZORI, Apartment List, RentCafe, Yardi, Apartments.com, Rent.com, Redfin, and BLS are trademarks of their respective owners.
The affordability context
The federal cost-burdened threshold is 30% of gross household income spent on rent. The US median household income is roughly $75,000 a year. Thirty percent of that is $1,875 per month, which is above our $1,728 national median rent. That single line is the modern affordability problem stated numerically: the typical listed unit costs more than the federal affordability cutoff for the typical household. The Joint Center for Housing Studies reports a record 22.7 million US renter households are now cost-burdened, 49% of all renters.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average rent in the US?
What is the difference between average and median rent?
What is a typical asking-rent range in the US?
What is the typical rent for a studio apartment in the US?
What is the typical rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in the US?
What is the typical rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in the US?
What is the typical rent for a 3-bedroom apartment in the US?
What is the typical rent for a 4-or-more-bedroom apartment in the US?
How has US asking rent changed in the last month?
How has US asking rent changed over three months?
How has US asking rent changed over the last year?
How much of the US rental market does this page cover?
Which covered states have the lowest and highest median asking rent?
Which asking-rent band has the most tracked US listings?
Why does the national trend chart differ from the current median?
Can the six-month forecast predict my apartment rent?
Do the national figures include utilities and other fees?
How do free-rent specials affect the rent comparison?
Why are some bedroom types or time periods missing?
How fresh is the national rent summary?
What to do next
- 1 Renting now or moving? Search rentals on the interactive map and filter by your bedroom and price band.
- 2 Comparing markets? Pick a state and drop into its rent trends page for the city-level breakdown.
- 3 Curious about methodology? Read the median rent research pillar for the full percentile distribution and source comparison.
- 4 Timing a lease signing? See our analysis on the best time of year to sign.
- 5 Hunting a deal? Browse the cheapest apartments we track nationwide, ranked by live asking price.
- 6 Want the monthly summary? The National Rent Report condenses this data into a citable monthly snapshot.