The median rent of an apartment in two urban areas of Fairfax County is drawing close to $3,000 per month, according to new data.
Should Tysons and Merrifield, including the Mosaic District, reach that figure in the second half of this year, they will join Arlington in the $3,000-per-month club.
Both Tysons and Merrifield recorded median rental rates of $2,955 for two-bedroom units in June, according to figures reported by Apartment List. Tysons held a slight edge — $2,465 compared to $2,405 — in the median cost of one-bedroom units.
Both communities recorded year-over-year price increases, with rents ticking up 2.5% in Tysons and 2.7% in Merrifield.
Only Arlington, where a median one-bedroom apartment costs $2,496 per month and two-bedroom units go for $3,016, is more expensive in the D.C. metro area. Across the region, the median rental cost in June was $2,211. Nationally, it was $1,401.
All communities in Fairfax County tracked by Apartment List showed year-over-year increases in June. In addition to Tysons and Merrifield:
- Annandale: Median rent of $1,951 for a one-bedroom unit, $2,227 for two bedrooms, up 8.2%
- Centreville: $2,137/$2,483, up 2.5%
- Fairfax: $1,984/$2,270, up 1.9%
- Fair Oaks: $2,329/$2,603, up 2.3%
- Herndon: $1,903/$2,284, up 3.5%
- Reston: $2,284/$2,419, up 4.9%
Among other areas in the metro core:
- Alexandria: $2,111/$2,593, up 2.8%
- Bethesda: $1,927/$2,323, up 0.3%
- Silver Spring: $1,575, $1,843, up 0.6%
- D.C.: $2,183/$2,241, up 0.5%
In its monthly national reporting, Apartment List tracks 100 urban centers, including D.C. (the city, not metro area) and Arlington.
In June, Arlington ranked fifth most expensive, trailing only four California communities: Irvine ($3,038 median rental cost), San Francisco ($2,991), San Jose ($2,908) and Fremont ($2,789).
As has been the case across the region, housing costs have become fodder for political campaigns in Arlington.
“It’s just too damn expensive,” Arlington County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said of housing costs during a debate with challenger James DeVita leading up to the June 17 Democratic primary.
The least expensive among the 100 urban areas in the U.S. tracked by Apartment List were Toledo, Ohio (median rental cost of $880 per month) and Fort Wayne, Indiana ($1,008).
While some New York City neighborhoods have jaw-dropping median apartment-rental costs — led by Tribeca at more than $8,000 monthly last year — the median citywide cost for June was $2,480. That placed the New York City seventh in the ranking.
Nationally, median apartment-rental rates in June were down 0.7% from a year before. Landlords may face more headwinds in the coming months, according to Apartment List analysts:
“All of our key indicators are pointing toward a sluggish summer moving season — rent growth is slipping and the multifamily vacancy rate is at an all time high. A return to tighter market conditions should still be on the horizon as the supply wave continues to recede, but the outlook has been complicated by macroeconomic whiplash being caused by tariffs and other policies being pursued by the Trump administration. This uncertainty appears to be weighing on demand, but the magnitude of that impact is not yet clear.”
While the national month-over-month median rental rate edged up slightly in June, the rate of rent growth has been slowing at the time of year when it’s typically the fastest, analysts said.
National median rental costs peaked in August 2022 and have since fallen by 2.8%, or $41 per month. But that cooldown came following a period of record-setting rent growth.
“The typical rent price remains 22% higher than its January 2021 level,” analysts said.
San Francisco has seen the fastest year-over-year rent growth (up 4.9% year-over-year), while the Austin metro area is currently the nation’s softest rental market (down 6.4%).
