Fairfax County in October saw rising year-over-year apartment rents in most corridors except Tysons, which saw a decline but remains the priciest area countywide.
Six of seven areas across Fairfax posted median rent increases ranging from less than 1% to 7%, according to figures reported Oct. 30 by Apartment List.
The most expensive corridor in the county is still Tysons, which recorded median rents of $2,335 for one-bedroom units and $2,800 for two bedrooms.
The overall median cost in Tysons declined 2.3% compared to October 2024, while all other areas saw increases:
- In Annandale, the median rents were $1,960 for one-bedroom apartments, $2,237 for two bedrooms, an overall increase of 7%
- In Centreville, median rents were $2,065/$2,399 for an increase of 4.3%
- In Herndon, median rents were $1,809/$2,171, up 1.6%
- In Fair Oaks, median rents were $2,189/$2,447, up 0.3%
- In the central Fairfax area, median rents were $1,925/$2,202, up 0.7%
- In Reston, median rents were $2,197/$2,326, up 1.9%
The increases in most parts of the county were in contrast to a national year-over-year decline. In October, the national median rental rate of $1,381 was down 0.9% ($13) from a year before, and is off 4.2% from the August 2022 peak of $1,442.
That drop is a result of the combination of more inventory, economic jitters and traditional apartment-hunting seasonality.
The local and national rental markets are facing “ongoing sluggishness” due to an influx of new construction hitting the market, Apartment List analysts said.
While the market is expected to reach an equilibrium between renters and landlords early next year, “the supply boom still has a bit of runway remaining, and the demand outlook has begun to appear weaker amid a shaky labor market,” they said.
Across the region in October, Arlington and Ashburn vied for most expensive jurisdiction in which to rent an apartment:
- The median rental rates for the Arlington were $2,424 for one-bedroom units and $2,930 for two bedrooms
- In Ashburn, the median rates were $2,335 for one-bedroom units and $2,800 for two bedrooms
Overall, Ashburn’s median rate was slightly higher than Arlington’s — $2,608 to $2,575 — owing to the greater percentage of two-bedroom or larger units rented there.
Among the 100 large urban areas in the U.S. tracked by Apartment List, Arlington ranked fifth most expensive for the month, a position it has held for most of 2025, even as local rental rates have cooled from a mid-year peak.
The four more expensive areas in the ranking all were in California: Irvine (an overall median rental rate of $3,095), San Francisco ($3,089), San Jose ($2,918) and Fremont ($2,781).
At the other end of the ranking was Toledo, Ohio, with the lowest median rental rate of $892.
D.C. ranked 14th on the list of 100 urban areas with a median rental rate of $2,166. Alexandria and areas in Fairfax and Loudoun counties are not incorporated into that ranking.
Nationally, the Austin metro currently has the softest conditions among the nation’s large rental markets, with the median rent there down by 6.5% over the past year. The highest rate of year-over-year growth for October was recorded in Providence, R.I., at 5.3%.
Units are taking an average of 33 days nationally to get leased after being listed, up one day both from a month and a year ago.
While Tysons, Arlington and the nation as a whole saw year-over-year declines in median rental rates, Virginia posted an increase of 1% from October 2024 figures in the new data.
