The best U.S. rental market datasets for academic research in 2026 are Dwellsy IQ, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), HUD Fair Market Rents, HUD CHAS, the Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), Apartment List Rent Estimates, CoStar, the American Housing Survey (AHS), and Cotality (formerly CoreLogic).
This guide is for graduate students, faculty, planning commissions and policy analysts studying U.S. housing markets who need rental data that holds up to peer review. For each dataset, it covers what the dataset is, why researchers use it, and how to access and cite it.
Quick comparison
| Dataset | Organization | Rent type | Finest geography | Frequency | Cost for researchers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwellsy IQ | Dwellsy | Asking rent, unit level. First-party data | Unit / ZIP code | Ongoing; history since 2020 | Licensed |
| American Community Survey | U.S. Census Bureau | Rent paid (gross and contract) | Block group (5-year) | Annual | Free |
| Fair Market Rents | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) | Modeled estimate | ZIP code (Small Area FMR) | Annual | Free |
| CHAS | HUD (built on Census Bureau ACS data) | Cost burden tabulations | Census tract | Annual (multi-year ACS) | Free |
| Zillow Observed Rent Index | Zillow | Asking rent, repeat-listing index | ZIP code | Monthly | Free (terms of use apply) |
| Apartment List | Apartment List | Asking rent estimate | City | Monthly | Free (terms of use apply) |
| CoStar | CoStar Group (owner of Apartments.com) | Effective rent, vacancy, absorption | Property | Ongoing | Subscription |
| American Housing Survey | HUD and U.S. Census Bureau | Rent paid, unit conditions | Metro (restricted files finer) | Every two years | Free (public use) |
| Cotality | Cotality | Listing and public records | Parcel | Ongoing | Licensed |
1. Dwellsy IQ
What it is
Dwellsy IQ is the rental data platform of Dwellsy, the largest free rental listing marketplace in the United States. Dwellsy IQ data comes straight from the property management systems where rents are set: more than 25,000 property managers send listings through 30+ system integrations. The dataset covers more than 17 million listings, both single-family rentals and multifamily, with 50+ standardized attributes per listings and 250+ amenities. It spans 16,000+ ZIP codes and 800+ metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), with history back to January 2020.
Why researchers use it
- Documented provenance. The data is not scraped or survey-based, so you can describe exactly how it was collected in a methodology section.
- Unit-level panel structure. Each unit carries a permanent identifier (the Unique Rental Unit, or URU), so you can follow the same unit across listings and over time. That suits panel and event-study designs.
- Single-family and multifamily in one source. You can compare the two asset classes directly without matching separate datasets.
- Coverage of the post-2020 rental cycle. History from January 2020 captures the pandemic surge, the 2022 peak and the normalization that followed.
- Citable aggregates. The Trends IQ monthly median rent series by MSA is published on Dewey with a DOI.
How to access it
- Direct project purchase: Grant-funded teams and planning commissions can buy one-time historical snapshots scoped to one county, MSA or state through Total IQ. Delivery can be phased to match grant periods.
- Through Dewey Data: Individual researchers and university libraries can access the Dwellsy rental listings dataset on Dewey Data.
- Licensing: You may publish findings and summary statistics, including in peer-reviewed journals. You may not redistribute the raw data, so plan your replication packages around this.
- Researchers: Researchers at the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute used Dwellsy data to study Altadena’s rental market after the 2025 Eaton Fire.
2. American Community Survey (ACS)
What it is
The American Community Survey is a continuous, nationally representative survey run by the U.S. Census Bureau. It measures gross rent, contract rent and rent as a share of household income. Estimates come out as 1-year and 5-year tables for geographies as small as the block group.
Why researchers use it
- The 5-year files give rent and rent-burden estimates down to census tracts and block groups.
- It includes covariates such as income, race, household size and tenure, so you can run multivariate analysis.
- Its sampling design and published margins of error support formal statistical inference.
- Its long, consistent time series work well for trend and panel-style studies.
How to access it
- Get tables through data.census.gov or the Census Data API. Harmonized microdata is available from IPUMS USA at the University of Minnesota.
- Use the Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) when you need individual records for custom models.
- Watch the margins of error, especially for small geographies and 1-year estimates.
- The data is free and in the public domain.
3. HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
What it is
Fair Market Rents are annual rent estimates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). They represent typical rent plus utilities by bedroom count for metro areas and nonmetropolitan counties. HUD uses them to set payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher program.
Why researchers use it
- They give a consistent, policy-relevant rent benchmark for every U.S. metro and nonmetropolitan county.
- They support research on whether vouchers cover local rents and where affordability gaps open up.
- Annual releases allow clean year-over-year comparisons.
- Small Area Fair Market Rents (SAFMRs) go down to the ZIP code level.
How to access it
- Download spreadsheets or use the API from HUD User.
- Combine FMRs with ACS or voucher data to study program coverage and spatial mismatch.
- FMRs are modeled estimates, not observed market rents. Describe HUD’s method when you cite them.
- To check FMRs against current market rents, compare them with a listing-based series such as Dwellsy IQ Trends IQ or Zillow’s ZORI.
- The data is free.
4. HUD Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS)
What it is
CHAS data are custom tabulations of Census Bureau ACS data produced for HUD. They measure housing problems, including cost burden, overcrowding and household income relative to HUD Area Median Family Income (HAMFI).
Why researchers use it
- It breaks cost burden down by income band, tenure and household type in ways standard ACS tables do not.
- It uses HUD’s income definitions, which suits policy-focused work.
- It lets you quantify unmet housing need for jurisdictions and regions.
- It links rent levels to income distributions for affordability studies. For background on the measures, see Dwellsy IQ’s explainer on housing burden and how it is measured.
How to access it
- Use the CHAS query tool and downloadable tables on HUD User.
- Match geographies carefully: CHAS follows the jurisdictions used in HUD Consolidated Plans.
- CHAS is built on 5-year ACS estimates, so treat it as a smoothed picture, not a single-year snapshot.
- The data is free.
5. Zillow (ZORI)
What it is
The Zillow Observed Rent Index is published by Zillow and built from asking rents on listings. It uses a repeat-rent method and smoothing to track typical market rents over time. It covers metros, cities, counties and ZIP codes.
Why researchers use it
- It updates monthly, much faster than federal surveys.
- Its broad geographic coverage supports comparisons across markets.
- Its method is documented and controls for changes in which units are listed.
- It pairs well with slower official sources for triangulating rent trends.
How to access it
- Download CSV files from Zillow Research.
- ZORI measures asking rents on listed units. Those can differ from what existing tenants pay.
- Check Zillow’s terms of use before including ZORI in public replication files.
- The research files are free for analysis.
6. Apartment List
What it is
Apartment List publishes monthly median rent estimates and growth rates for U.S. cities, metros and states. The estimates come from Apartment List’s listing data and are adjusted to approximate typical market rents.
Why researchers use it
- It is an independent, timely series you can compare with ZORI, Dwellsy IQ and federal data.
- It reports month-over-month and year-over-year growth, which is convenient for trend work.
- It covers many mid-sized cities that national studies often leave out.
- Apartment List publishes its methodology, so it can be cited transparently.
How to access it
- Download data and read the methodology on the Apartment List data and rent estimates page.
- Use it as a cross-check, not a sole source.
- Record which release you used, because Apartment List revises earlier values.
- Confirm Apartment List’s terms before redistributing the data.
7. CoStar
What it is
CoStar Group, which also owns Apartments.com, licenses commercial multifamily data covering effective rents, vacancy, concessions and absorption. Coverage is concentrated in professionally managed apartment properties and submarkets.
Why researchers use it
- It captures effective rents and concessions, which federal surveys rarely measure.
- Property-level and submarket detail supports fine-grained spatial analysis.
- It tracks supply (completions, absorption) alongside rents.
- It is widely used in research on multifamily investment and the effects of new construction.
How to access it
- Access usually comes through an institutional subscription. Many business schools and real estate centers hold CoStar licenses.
- CoStar does not publish its pricing; it is quoted per license.
- Ask CoStar about redistribution and publication rights before sharing extracts.
- Its coverage leans toward large, professionally managed properties. Add Census Bureau data for the full renter population, or Dwellsy IQ for single-family rentals.
8. American Housing Survey (AHS)
What it is
The American Housing Survey is sponsored by HUD and run by the U.S. Census Bureau every two years. It follows the same housing units over time and records housing costs, physical condition and occupant characteristics for both renters and owners.
Why researchers use it
- It has more detail on unit quality, amenities and housing problems than other public sources.
- Because it follows the same units over time, you can study how costs and conditions change.
- It includes variables on neighborhood conditions and tenant experiences.
- It combines a national sample with oversamples for selected metros.
How to access it
- Download public-use microdata from the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Read the documentation closely, because variable definitions change between survey years.
- Files with finer geography require approval to use a Federal Statistical Research Data Center.
- The public-use files are free.
9. Cotality
What it is
Cotality, which rebranded from CoreLogic in March 2025, maintains property-level rental data built from public records, listings and its own sources. Rental records can be linked to parcel, transaction and property characteristic data. Cotality also publishes the Single-Family Rent Index.
Why researchers use it
- It links rents to individual parcels and their attributes.
- It covers single-family rentals, which apartment-focused datasets miss.
- Its property characteristics support hedonic models.
- National coverage makes large-scale studies possible.
How to access it
- Access is through license agreements, sometimes arranged through a university library. Some institutions get Cotality data through Dewey Data.
- Cotality does not publish its pricing.
- Read the license carefully, because property-level data usually comes with redistribution limits.
- Check coverage for your study area, since completeness varies by region.
FAQ
Which rental dataset is best for small-area academic research?
For U.S. research at fine geography, use the Census Bureau’s ACS 5-year estimates (down to tracts and block groups) and HUD’s Small Area Fair Market Rents (ZIP codes). For listing-based rents at the ZIP or unit level, Dwellsy IQ and Zillow’s ZORI fill in what the surveys can’t. The right choice depends on whether your design needs representative data or timely data.
Are these rental datasets free for academic use?
The U.S. Census Bureau (ACS, AHS) and HUD (FMR, CHAS) publish free, openly licensed data. Zillow and Apartment List offer free downloads under their own terms of use. CoStar and Cotality require paid licenses, usually arranged through a university. Dwellsy IQ data is licensed, and researchers can access it through Dewey Data or buy a one-time regional snapshot directly. Always check licensing and redistribution terms before publishing replication files.
What is the difference between asking rents and contract rents?
Asking rents are the prices advertised for available units. Contract rents are what tenants actually pay under signed leases, including tenants who have stayed in place for years. Dwellsy IQ, Zillow ZORI and Apartment List measure asking rents. The Census Bureau ACS and the American Housing Survey measure rents paid. The two can diverge sharply in fast-moving markets, so many studies triangulate across both and explain the distinction clearly.
Which rental datasets include single-family rentals?
Dwellsy IQ, Cotality and the Census Bureau ACS all cover single-family rentals. Dwellsy IQ reports single-family and multifamily rents in the same dataset, so you can compare the two directly. CoStar data is concentrated in professionally managed multifamily properties.
How do I cite a commercial rental dataset in a peer-reviewed paper?
Name the provider, the dataset, the version or release date, and the access channel, plus a DOI if one exists. For example: Dwellsy. (2026). Dwellsy TrendsIQ MSA [Dataset]. Dewey Data. https://doi.org/10.82551/0GYE-QZ62. Also explain in your methodology section how the provider collects its data.
