What's the average rent in the US? $1,388, $1,694, or $1,932, depending on who's counting
Ask for the average rent in the US and you'll get several different answers, each from a reputable source. For September 2026, Apartment List put the national median at $1,388 a month, Realtor.com at $1,694, and the Zillow Observed Rent Index, which RentDataNow uses, at $1,932. The US Census Bureau's latest figure, for 2024, is $1,487. They also disagree on direction: Apartment List and Realtor.com both show rent down 0.4% from a year earlier, while Zillow's index shows it up 2.9%.
Source | Typical rent | Change in a year | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
Apartment List | $1,388 | -0.4% | Median rent, mostly apartments, combining government statistics with its own listing data |
Census Bureau (2024) | $1,487 | n/a | Median gross rent, including utilities, paid by all renter households, including long-time tenants |
Realtor.com | $1,694 | -0.4% | Median asking rent for studios to two-bedrooms in the 50 largest metro areas |
Zillow Observed Rent Index | $1,932 | +2.9% | Typical asking rent for houses, condos, and apartments on Zillow, smoothed and seasonally adjusted |
The gaps come from what's being counted. Zillow's index includes single-family houses, which rent for more than apartments, and it tracks rent on homes as they're listed, so it reflects what a renter moving now would pay. Realtor.com looks only at studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms in big metros, which leaves out larger and pricier units. The Census number counts everyone who rents, including tenants who signed years ago and pay less, and it adds utilities.
The direction gap has a similar explanation. Apartment List says a construction boom that peaked in 2024, with more than 600,000 new apartments, has kept the market soft, and nearly 43.9% of the studio-to-two-bedroom listings Realtor.com tracked offered a concession in September. Realtor.com called it the 38th straight month of annual declines, though the slowest in three years. Zillow said in its September report that rent growth was picking up for both apartment buildings and single-family homes. The government's Consumer Price Index, which tracks what all tenants pay, showed rent up 0.2% from August to September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
Which one to use depends on the question. If you're about to sign a lease, an asking-rent measure like Zillow's or Realtor.com's is closest to what you'll see in listings, and Realtor.com's is the better match if you're looking for an apartment rather than a house. For what renters across the country pay on average, including utilities, the Census figure is the standard. Our city pages, like the national page, use the Zillow index because it's updated monthly for thousands of cities and zip codes.
We went deeper on why trackers diverge in why every rent report gives a different number, and the latest monthly numbers are in our September rent report.
Sources
Apartment List National Rent Report (September 29, 2026)
Realtor.com September 2026 rent report (October 15, 2026)
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for September 2026 (October 14, 2026)
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2024, table B25064, median gross rent
RentDataNow national rent data, anchored to the seasonally adjusted Zillow Observed Rent Index, September 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent in the US in 2026?
It depends on the measure. For September 2026, Apartment List put median rent at $1,388, Realtor.com at $1,694 for studios to two-bedrooms in big metros, and the Zillow Observed Rent Index at $1,932 for all rental homes.
Why do rent reports give different numbers?
They count different things. Zillow's index includes single-family houses, Realtor.com covers only studios to two-bedrooms in the 50 largest metros, and the Census counts all tenants, including those on older, cheaper leases, plus utilities.
Are rents going up or down in 2026?
Apartment rents are slightly down from a year ago, about 0.4% by both Apartment List and Realtor.com, while Zillow's index, which includes houses, shows typical rent up 2.9%. Government data showed rent up 0.2% from August to September.
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Jennifer Han is the editor in chief of RentDataNow, covering rent trends, housing costs, and more. She was a real-estate agent before she moved to writing about the market.
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