Apartment renters are finally seeing relief across much of the United States, but booming artificial intelligence markets are creating a very different story in some of the country’s largest technology hubs.
According to Apartment List’s June national rent report, the median U.S. apartment rent stood at approximately $1,385, down 1.2% from a year earlier and about 4% below its 2022 peak.
The improvement follows one of the largest apartment construction booms in decades.
More than 600,000 new multifamily housing units were completed during 2024—the highest annual total since the mid-1980s—giving renters more choices and increasing competition among landlords.
As vacancies have risen, many property owners have responded by offering incentives including free rent, waived application fees and discounted parking to attract tenants.
National apartment vacancy rates have climbed to roughly 7%, easing the intense competition that characterized the housing market during and immediately after the pandemic.
The national picture, however, masks significant regional differences.
According to Apartments.com, San Francisco recorded one of the nation’s fastest annual rent increases, with rents rising more than 9% over the past year.
Nearby San Jose also experienced strong rent growth.
Housing analysts attribute much of that increase to the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence companies.
Technology firms including OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI developers continue hiring aggressively, bringing highly paid workers back into the Bay Area and increasing demand for housing near major employment centers.
By contrast, several Sun Belt cities that experienced rapid apartment construction over recent years are now seeing rents decline.
Markets including Austin, San Antonio, Phoenix and Denver have recorded year-over-year rent decreases as newly completed apartment communities compete for tenants.
Industry researchers say housing supply remains the primary factor influencing rental prices nationwide.
Areas that added large numbers of new apartments generally experienced slower rent growth or outright declines, while markets with limited supply and strong job creation continue seeing prices increase.
Despite improving conditions in many cities, affordability remains a major challenge.
The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies reports that a record number of American renters continue spending more than 30% of their income on housing, with millions spending over half of their income on rent and utilities.
Even after recent declines, national rents remain significantly higher than they were before the pandemic.
For renters, today’s market presents better negotiating opportunities than existed just a few years ago.
Landlords in many cities are once again offering concessions and becoming more flexible during lease negotiations.
For developers and investors, however, slowing rent growth has reduced returns in many markets and contributed to fewer new apartment construction projects moving forward.
Economists say the slowdown in new construction could eventually tighten housing supply again, placing upward pressure on rents in future years.
For now, renters across much of the country are benefiting from increased apartment availability, while the nation’s rapidly expanding AI industry continues creating localized housing demand in some of America’s most expensive metropolitan areas.
JBizNews Desk | New York
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