America's Rental Housing 2026

The number of renters with cost burdens has reached another record high, rents for new leases show modest declines, and vacancy rates are ticking up. Multifamily construction is cooling and reductions in federal safety net programs are forcing state and local governments to fill the gaps. Meanwhile, the nation’s aging rental stock faces investment needs that threaten access to safe, affordable homes.

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Interactive Maps & Data

For permission to embed our interactives, contact [email protected]

A bar chart linking to interactive showing renter cost burdens by income level.

Cost Burdens Climb the Income Scale

A map linking to an interactive showing levels of cost burdens nationwide.

Renter Cost Burdens Are Widespread

A chart linking to interactive showing income spent on rent by state.

Renters Are Spending More Income on Housing

Thumbnail of a bar chart linking to interactive showing real contract rents.

Rents Are Shifting Higher

Thumbnail linking to interactive showing renter households by income level.

Renters Are Increasingly Higher Income

Thumbnail linking to interactive showing rental units by structure type.

Larger Buildings Drive Rental Stock Increases

Resources

The data behind each figure in the report can be found in both the Excel Data and the PowerPoint below (in the PPT charts, open the figure you are interested in, right-click on the figure, and choose "Edit data").

Excel Data

Report Charts (PPT)

Data Sources

Press Release

Thumbnail of a document linking to a fact sheet pdf.

Key Facts

Report Cover

Suggested Citation: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. 2026. America's Rental Housing 2026. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/americas-rental-housing-2026.

Principal funding for this report was provided by Ballmer Group.
Thank you to the advisory group for this year’s report: Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Council of Large Public Housing Agencies, Housing Assistance Council, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Apartment Association, National Council of State Housing Agencies, National League of Cities, National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Multifamily Housing Council, and NYU Furman Center.

America's Rental Housing 2026