Rents are 10% below what Fort Worth's 10-year trend predicts — a better deal than its own history suggests.
Rent by unit size
These are HUD Fair Market Rents, the payment standard for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). They often differ from the $1,612 market median above, and that is expected: FMR is the 40th percentile of standard-quality units and counts gross rent, so it includes essential utilities such as electricity, water, gas, sewer, and trash. The market median is asking rent, which usually excludes utilities. HUD sets FMR once a year; market rent here updates monthly.
Source: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents. Read the methodology →
12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
January. Asking rents in Fort Worth usually run 0.9% below trend in January and 0.8% above it in July, about $27 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Fort Worth is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in January 2015.
Rent in Fort Worth changed +1.3% over the year to September 2026. Across the 224 Texas cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +1.0%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Fort Worth rose 28.2% while median household income rose 27.9% ($62,187 to $79,507). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Fort Worth is 28.2% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 4 months in a row, and rose in 7 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($79,507) is $1,988 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($1,699); a 3-bedroom is $2,249.
The priciest of 28 ZIP codes in Fort Worth, 76244 ($2,141/mo), costs 1.9 times the cheapest, 76119 ($1,125/mo).
Richland Hills, 12 miles away, rents for 20% less ($1,291/mo), about $3,900 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Fort Worth. The seasonal pattern compares Zillow’s seasonally adjusted and unadjusted series. Income is the Census median household income (5-year estimates). Fair Market Rents are HUD’s, which include utilities.
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Who lives here
Fort Worth, TX is majority owner-occupied, has a large share of families with children, 32% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Fort Worth, TX has changed in 5 years
Rent in Fort Worth, TX has increased 20.4% since 2021, going from about $1,339 per month to roughly $1,612 today. Median household income grew from $67,927 to $79,507 between 2021 and 2024, a 17.0% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 3.4 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Headcount in the area went from 908,469 to 963,194 between 2021 and 2024, a 6.0% change. Taken together, the five-year picture in Fort Worth, TX reflects how housing costs and the people paying them have evolved through a stretch that included a pandemic, a hot rental market, and a recent cooling phase.
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Can you afford rent in Fort Worth on your salary?
At $1,612/mo, how Fort Worth rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Fort Worth rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Fort Worth. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Fort Worth
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Fort Worth is $1,612/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,366/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,699/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,455/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $2,249/mo.
At 24% of local median household income ($79,507/yr), Fort Worth ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 1.3% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Fort Worth?
At $1,612/mo, rent takes ~24% of Fort Worth's median household income ($79,507/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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