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Median rents for two-bedroom apartments in Tysons and Merrifield climbed to $2,955 in June, putting both Fairfax County communities within striking distance of Arlington’s $3,000 mark.
If prices continue rising during the second half of the year, Tysons and Merrifield—including the Mosaic District—could soon join Arlington among the region’s most expensive rental markets.
Tysons had the higher median price for a one-bedroom apartment at $2,465, compared with $2,405 in Merrifield. Rents increased year over year by 2.5% in Tysons and 2.7% in Merrifield.
Arlington remained the most expensive market in the D.C. region, with median rents of $2,496 for a one-bedroom unit and $3,016 for two bedrooms. The regional median was $2,211, while the national figure stood at $1,401.
Every Fairfax County community tracked by Apartment List posted a year-over-year increase in June:
- Annandale: $1,951 for one bedroom and $2,227 for two, up 8.2%
- Centreville: $2,137 and $2,483, up 2.5%
- Fairfax: $1,984 and $2,270, up 1.9%
- Fair Oaks: $2,329 and $2,603, up 2.3%
- Herndon: $1,903 and $2,284, up 3.5%
- Reston: $2,284 and $2,419, up 4.9%
Elsewhere in the metropolitan core, Alexandria recorded median rents of $2,111 for one bedroom and $2,593 for two, an increase of 2.8%. Bethesda’s figures were $1,927 and $2,323, up 0.3%, while Silver Spring posted $1,575 and $1,843, up 0.6%. In D.C., median rents reached $2,183 and $2,241, an increase of 0.5%.
Arlington ranks among nation’s costliest markets
Apartment List’s national report tracks 100 urban centers, including Arlington and D.C. as a city rather than the broader metropolitan area.
Arlington ranked fifth most expensive in June, behind four California communities: Irvine, with a median rent of $3,038; San Francisco at $2,991; San Jose at $2,908; and Fremont at $2,789.
The mounting cost of housing has also emerged as a campaign issue in Arlington. During a debate ahead of the June 17 Democratic primary, County Board Chair Takis Karantonis told challenger James DeVita that housing was “just too damn expensive.”
At the opposite end of the national rankings, Toledo, Ohio, had a median rent of $880 per month. Fort Wayne, Indiana, followed at $1,008.
New York City’s citywide median was $2,480, placing it seventh, although individual neighborhoods can cost far more. Tribeca’s median apartment rent exceeded $8,000 per month last year.
National rents cool after historic surge
Nationwide, the median apartment rent in June was 0.7% lower than a year earlier. Although rents edged upward from May, growth continued to weaken during a season when increases are typically strongest.
Apartment List analysts said slowing rent growth and a record-high multifamily vacancy rate point to a sluggish summer moving season. They expect tighter market conditions eventually as the recent wave of new housing supply recedes, but said economic uncertainty tied to tariffs and other Trump administration policies may be weighing on demand.
National median rents peaked in August 2022 and have since declined by 2.8%, or $41 per month. That drop followed record increases, leaving the typical rent 22% above its January 2021 level.
San Francisco posted the fastest annual rent growth at 4.9%, while the Austin metropolitan area had the weakest rental market, with prices down 6.4%.