A new data analysis finds two local communities have seen the largest year-over-year declines in median rents across the metro area.
Herndon posted a drop of 4.8% to $2,000, and Fairfax City saw a 3.8% dip to $2,010 in the median rental price of one-bedroom apartments in June, according to the latest monthly report from Zumper.
While Herndon, Fairfax and Laurel, Maryland, (down 3%) saw the most significant drops in year-over-year one-bedroom rents, they were not alone. According to the Zumper report, released July 13, the majority of localities across the metro area posted yearly declines in rental rates.
Crystal Chen, a Zumper analyst, said the new data suggests “a general softening across the metro area, rather than something specific in one or two markets.”
She pointed to issues on both the supply and demand sides of the rental market, which saw a year-over-year uptick in the cost of one-bedroom units nationally in June for the first time since May 2025.
On the supply side, Zumper’s internal listings database saw an 18% increase in apartments available across the D.C. region from June 2025 to June 2026.
“More inventory always tends to put downward pressure on asking rents,” Chen said, adding:
“On the demand side, ongoing federal employment uncertainty has reduced overall housing demand, which may be part of why we’re seeing more listings hit the market in the first place. Some D.C. area workers have likely relocated in search of affordability or new job opportunities, freeing up units that would otherwise have stayed occupied.”
The 3.8% yearly decline for apartments in the City of Fairfax equates to about $76 per month — a “real, but not dramatic,” decline, Chen said.
“What’s more telling is the overall trend as this cooling isn’t isolated to Herndon and Fairfax,” she said.
Of eight D.C.-area localities in the new Zumper data, only three — Arlington (+0.8%), Manassas (+3.4%) and Hagerstown (+2%) — recorded year-over-year increases.
Arlington reported the highest median one-bedroom rent locally, at $2,450, followed by Alexandria ($2,310) and D.C. ($2,300). Hagerstown ($1,030) had the lowest median rent.
The median apartment rent for one-bedroom units was $2,025 across the metro area in the latest Zumper data. Nationally, the median rent of $1,526 in June was up 0.4% year-over-year, according to the figures.
