Average Rent by City and ZIP Code (2026)
What a rental actually earns is the number every other number depends on. These pages show typical asking rent across 8,337 ZIP codes and 569 cities, so you can price a unit you own or sanity check the rent assumption on a deal you are underwriting.
Metro rent research
Read local rent trends, property strategies and acquisition downside analysis for each metro. Markets that span several states have one report.
- Pittsburgh metro · PA
Fund dated roof, mechanical and lateral replacements before treating an annual reserve allowance as spendable cash.
- Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro · NJ / PA
Test whether Bethlehem apartments carry an empty storefront and reconcile actual commercial expense recoveries.
- Cincinnati metro · IN / KY / OH
Keep the recovery thesis tied to collections and classify the City of Cincinnati parcel’s stormwater expense correctly.
- Little Rock metro · AR
Compare Little Rock rent-roll occupancy with trailing cash flow, then fund a small building’s empty-unit runway.
- Syracuse metro · NY
Test contractor furnishing payback and the separate city/state lead-compliance budget before buying an older Syracuse rental.
- Indianapolis metro · IN
Rebuild rental-owner expenses and test why Indiana’s larger assessed-value deduction may leave a capped tax bill unchanged.
- Greeley metro · CO
Keep signed campus leases and turn cash separate from tenant deposit obligations and unreceived transfers.
- Sacramento metro · CA
Price lawful occupied income and budget the documented inspection work behind city self-certification.
- Lancaster metro · PA
Compare required repairs with elective renovation cash, closure time and payback before buying a Lancaster rental.
- Atlanta metro · GA
Reconcile lease recovery with both refinance coverage and value limits before relying on net loan proceeds.
- Corpus Christi metro · TX
Test project-lease income and the cash needed to repair a coastal rental before final insurance reimbursement.
- Toledo metro · OH
Verify shared utility responsibility and compare metered water-repair savings with fixed fees before paying for Toledo rent growth.
- Midland metro · TX
Measure payer concentration and service-adjusted income after an employer exit before paying for corporate lease premiums.
- Ocala metro · FL
Fit paid winter and off-season nights into one year, then compare retained seasonal earnings with annual leasing.
- Buffalo metro · NY
Compare owner heating costs and per-student campus versus private housing obligations before pricing a rent premium.
- Detroit metro · MI
Fund Detroit’s route from repair work and certification to first rent, then test the net rehabilitation premium.
- Kansas City metro · MO / KS
Compare conflicting apartment-market signals and the recurring NOI needed to justify a higher purchase basis.
- Raleigh metro · NC
Compare renewal and re-leasing over 12 and 24 months, including downtime, concessions, turn costs and percentage leasing fees.
- Minneapolis–St. Paul metro · MN / WI
Test the complete third-unit conversion budget before paying a seller for unbuilt rental income.
- Boston metro · MA / NH
Fund actual owner-paid placement and September turn dates before relying on normalized annual income.
- Charleston metro · SC
Compare net location value and bridge repair bills before an assumed insurance settlement arrives.
- Jefferson City metro · MO
Test elective renovation recovery over a discounted holding horizon after funding necessary repairs.
- Cheyenne metro · WY
Separate announced positions from in-period rental households and current matched availability.
- Birmingham metro · AL
Test whether paid summer room-months cover services, annual turns and first-year setup near UAB.
- Durham–Chapel Hill metro · NC
Reconcile county, local and fixed parcel charges before accepting the seller’s operating tax line.
- Stockton–Lodi metro · CA
Compare house and duplex exposure, then fund the ownership-change supplemental tax periods separately.
- Chattanooga metro · TN / GA
Separate changes in electricity usage, variable prices and fixed charges before assigning an owner saving.
- Iowa City metro · IA
Test a graduate household’s twelve-month funding and deposit liquidity alongside the whole-unit resident budget.
- Killeen–Temple metro · TX
Compare concession recovery over the established rent-owed term, then fund the separate military move-out turn.
- Colorado Springs metro · CO
Reconcile rent-roll collections into leased months, used concessions, face-rent changes and bad debt.
- Madison metro · WI
Test whether an elective upgrade earns enough accepted rent to cover capital, recurring expense and changed collection loss.
- Huntsville metro · AL
Price current collections separately from future stabilization and fund the monthly lease-up cash trough.
- Rochester metro · NY
Compare academic and co-op paid room-months with annual household leases after utilities, furnishing and turnover costs.
Rent estimates by state
Comparing the coast and inland? Our California rent guide explains regional ZIP benchmarks, data coverage and the cost of a longer trip.
Comparing Texas areas or a free-month lease offer? The Texas rent guide connects city and county-set benchmarks with total lease cost and move-in cash.
Comparing an Ohio city with its surrounding counties? The Ohio rent guide separates those ZIP samples and compares seasonal energy costs for two homes.
Comparing Chicago with other Illinois markets? The Illinois rent guide explains the Chicago-area share of the ZIP sample and compares lease costs with travel and one-time fees.
Comparing Minneapolis or Saint Paul with surrounding places? The Minnesota rent guide separates postal-city and county samples and reconciles rent, mandatory fees and refundable deposit cash.
The Indiana rent research connects ZIP coverage with Indianapolis lease-up pressure and Bloomington permit evidence.
Compare first-lease incentives with continuing income in the Colorado rent guide, including separate Denver and Colorado Springs apartment evidence.
The Pennsylvania rent guide distinguishes Philadelphia and Pittsburgh survey periods, cross-state metro boundaries and the cost of a delayed first lease.
The North Carolina rent guide tests uneven Charlotte and Triangle recovery and Asheville restoration risk before an investor sets the income budget.
The Washington rent guide connects Seattle supply and Spokane costs with the effective date of a continuing-tenancy increase.
Use the Georgia rent guide to separate Atlanta and Savannah leasing evidence and stress buyer costs against collected income.
The Arizona rent guide separates Phoenix and Tucson leasing evidence and reconciles the repealed residential rental tax pass-through.
Use the Massachusetts rent guide to compare local rent indices and first-lease cash after an owner-hired broker fee.
The Virginia rent guide connects local leasing evidence with independent-city tax boundaries and rental-inspection district checks.
The Nevada rent guide compares Las Vegas and Reno leasing evidence and the complete periodic cost after mandatory fees.
Use the Wisconsin rent guide to separate the tenant’s heat-included saving from the owner’s collected premium and annual utility bill.
The Maryland rent guide connects ZIP and Baltimore leasing evidence with Montgomery County’s ordinary allowance and pre-1978 rental-readiness records.
The Kansas rent guide separates Wichita supply, Kansas-side sale composition and unpaid former-tenant claims from rent actually received.
The Oklahoma rent guide compares OKC and Tulsa apartment competition and tests the buyer valuation reset behind a misleading seller tax budget.
The Louisiana rent guide distinguishes New Orleans rental readiness and sales activity from collected income, then allocates repair costs by insurance peril.
The South Carolina rent guide connects Upstate incentives and Columbia supply with the tax change from a qualifying legal residence to rental use.
Use the Missouri rent guide to separate St. Louis occupancy approval, initial work and first-rent timing from regional apartment strength.
The Kentucky rent guide tests Louisville operating cash and reconciles a supported repair credit under verified local tenancy coverage.
The Oregon rent guide compares Portland leasing evidence, the published 2027 ceiling and conditional city relocation cash.
The New Jersey rent guide separates municipal rent records from flood repair payments, insurance recovery and interrupted rent.
Use the Connecticut rent guide to distinguish legacy county labels, Hartford fair-rent review and refundable deposit escrow.
Where this data comes from
Rents are the Zillow Observed Rent Index, a smoothed measure of typical asking rent for single family homes, condos, and apartments in each ZIP code. It reflects what units are being listed for, which is the right starting point for underwriting but not a substitute for pulling real comparables on the street you are buying.
Cities with fewer than 3 ZIP codes reporting are not given their own page, because one or two observations do not describe a market.
Turn a rent number into a deal decision
Rent is one input. Drop it into the analyzer with price, taxes, and financing to see cash flow, cap rate, and cash-on-cash return.