U.S. single-family rent prices increased 1.5% year-over-year in June 2026.
Rent is increasing at a typical seasonal pattern after a year of below-trend growth.
Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg, IL had the highest year-over-year rent increase at 5%.
Los Angeles saw the largest slowdown in single-family rent growth for the fourth consecutive month.
Cotality, a leading global property information, analytics, and data-enabled solutions provider, released its latest Single-Family Rent Index (SFRI) for June 2026, which tracks single-family rent price changes nationally. Single-family rent prices in June 2026 increased by 1.5% year-over-year, which is a decrease from last year’s annual increase of 2.5%. However, monthly rent growth has been increasing at a typical seasonal pattern for most of 2026 after a year of below-trend growth.
“National single-family rent growth increased to 1.5% in June, marking the fourth consecutive month of stronger annual gains and the highest growth rate since late 2025,” said Molly Boesel, senior principal economist at Cotality. “While rents are rising a bit faster than they were earlier this year, the market remains much different from the rapid growth environment seen in recent years. Pricing performance continues to vary across both regions and price tiers, with higher-end rentals posting stronger gains than lower-end properties. At the local level, Midwestern markets continue to lead rent price growth, while some Sun Belt markets remain comparatively soft. Overall, June’s results point to a market that is slowly increasing rather than broadly accelerating.”
The disparities between high-end and low-end price increases continued in June 2026, high-end prices continued to show strong growth, increasing by 2.4% while low-end prices were much weaker, increasing by just 0.4% for the second month in a row. However, growth in both tiers decreased was lower than a year earlier. Rent growth for detached rentals increased by 1.4% in June 2026, while it increased 1.6% for attached rentals.
Rent growth across the nation continues to be the strongest in the Midwest, where Chicago led price growth at 5.0%, followed by Detroit (3.4%), Philadelphia (3.2%), New York (2.8%), and Atlanta (1.2%). Rent price growth remains slowest in the Southern U.S. Houston, TX posted negative price growth for the fifth consecutive month at -0.2%, followed by Dallas, TX which posted 0.2% growth. Los Angeles saw the largest slowdown in year-over-year growth for the fourth consecutive month, dropping from 4.7% to 0.6%.
Additional Insights from Megan Castleton, Chief Credit Officer, Constructive Capital
What stands out most in the latest data is that rent growth is following a more traditional seasonal pattern. After several years of volatility, a return to predictable market behavior could provide greater clarity for brokers, lenders, investors, and operators alike.
Single-family rental demand continues to demonstrate resilience despite a slower growth environment. The sector’s ability to sustain positive rent appreciation suggests the underlying need for rental housing remains intact.
The contrast between Midwest strength and Southern market softness highlights the importance of regional diversification. Institutional portfolios may benefit from balancing exposure across markets that are at different stages of the rent growth cycle.
The continued outperformance of higher-end rental properties suggests demand remains strongest among higher-income renters. Investors evaluating acquisition opportunities through their brokers should pay close attention to where premium inventory is showing resilience.
The next Cotality Single-Family Rent Index will be released on September 17, 2026, featuring data for July 2026. For ongoing housing trends and data, visit the Cotality Insights blog: www.cotality.com/insights.
