Grants Pass, Oregon – November 06, 2026 -- Average monthly rent paid across the U.S. reached $1,388 in 2026 year-to-date, up 38% since 2019, even as rent growth slows, according to Rentec Direct's 2026 State of Rent Report.
Rent growth drops to 1% in 2026 after a 5% rise in 2025
Rent paid has increased $375 per month since 2019. After climbing 5% in 2025, the national average is up just 1% in 2026 YTD. Growth is stabilizing nationally, but trends differ by state.
State-level rents span $1,626, from West Virginia to California
In 2025, average monthly rent ranged from $773 in West Virginia to $2,399 in California. While national growth cools, rent growth is accelerating in Connecticut, Hawaii and Idaho.
Rentec Direct founder and CEO Nathan Miller said, "Rent growth may be stabilizing, but that doesn't mean housing has become more affordable." He said pricing, property investment and tenant retention decisions will matter more as the market settles into slower growth, and that local conditions are increasingly important for renters and housing providers.
Report tracks payments from 600,000 units, not advertised vacancy prices
The report analyzes rent payments made by tenants and collected by landlords, rather than the advertised rents for vacant units that most rental market reports rely on. Asking prices may not reflect existing lease rates, rent control policies, discounts or negotiated prices.
The dataset covers aggregated, anonymous payments from more than 600,000 rental properties on Rentec Direct's software platform. It includes single-family and multifamily properties, individual rooms and mobile homes. Commercial properties are excluded, and payments above $20,000 were omitted as outliers. Rentec Direct says the report identifies trends and may not fully represent the U.S. rental market as a whole.