House and apartment rents in the U.S. continued to soften in October 2025, extending the gradual cooling that began in mid-2024. National house rents averaged $1,911, while apartment rents averaged $1,362, representing modest month-over-month and year-over-year adjustments after a period of pandemic-driven volatility. Compared to January 2025, however, national rents remain slightly elevated, showing that the correction of late 2024 might have stabilized.
Methodology
This report analyzes national rental trends in both the single-family rental (SFR) and multifamily housing (MFH) markets, focusing on three-bedroom homes for SFR and one-bedroom apartments for MFH. Drawing from the more than 16 million rentals that list on the Dwellsy.com Marketplace, the dataset represents real-time market behavior rather than projections or survey estimates. All data was vetted for accuracy and processed using a Gaussian filtering method to smooth outliers while preserving genuine market shifts. These insights are based entirely on observed listings, ensuring that the results reflect actual market activity as it occurs. For details on data preparation, quality controls, and analytical techniques, see full methodology here.
What is the national house rent in October 2025?
- Average Rent: $1,911
- Month-over-Month Change: –1.6%
- Year-over-Year Change: +0.5%
- 2025 Price Band: $1,911–$1,988
- 2025 High: $1,988 (May 2025)
- 2025 Low: $1,911 (October 2025)
House rents followed an atypical seasonal pattern in 2025. Instead of continuing to rise through summer and early fall, rents peaked earlier than usual in May and began cooling well ahead of the typical seasonal slowdown. The 1.6% MoM decline in October brought national house rents to their lowest point of the year, yet the $77 price band shows that overall volatility has been minimal. Despite the monthly decline, year-over-year growth remained positive at +0.5%.
What is the national apartment rent in October 2025?
- Average Rent: $1,362
- Month-over-Month Change: -1.4%
- Year-over-Year Change: +0.4%
- 2025 Price Band: $1,348–$1,388
- 2025 High: $1,388 (May 2025)
- 2025 Low: $1,348 (January–February 2025)
Apartment rents show an even tighter price band than houses, with only $40 separating the highest and lowest points of 2025. The 1.4% MoM decrease in October pushes apartment rents to their lowest level since early 2024, yet the YoY figure remains mildly positive at +0.4%.
Conclusion
October delivered the lowest national rent levels of the year for both houses and apartments, marking the sharpest monthly declines recorded in 2025. Both asset types peaked in April–May, with May representing the highest rent levels of the year, before cooling steadily through autumn. Despite this seasonal softening, year-over-year growth remained slightly positive for both categories.
FAQ
What does the October 2025 national rental data show?
U.S. rents continued to soften in October 2025, extending the gradual cooling that began in mid-2024. Both house and apartment rents posted month-over-month declines, while year-over-year growth remained slightly positive, signaling stabilization after the late-2024 correction.
What is the national average house rent in October 2025?
The national average house rent is $1,911, down 1.6% month-over-month and up 0.5% year-over-year.
What is the national average apartment rent in October 2025?
The national average apartment rent is $1,362, down 1.4% month-over-month and up 0.4% year-over-year.
How can rental market data help understand housing trends?
Rental data reveals where demand is strengthening or cooling, highlights affordability pressures, and exposes long-term patterns across metros, supporting more accurate decisions for investors, property managers, policy leaders, and analysts.
Where can I buy rental market data?
Companies like Dwellsy provide rental datasets, including historical trends, rent benchmarks, and metro-level insights used by institutional investors, proptech platforms, universities, and government agencies.
