Multifamily market data: Multifamily housing rents up 14.3% in 2022

“Can’t stop, won’t stop” is starting to feel like an appropriate tagline for the U.S. multifamily sector as it maintains more than a year-long streak of record growth.

According to the latest Yardi Matrix Multifamily Report, the average U.S. asking rent rose $15 in April to an all-time record $1,659. Year-over-year growth moderated by 50 basis points but remains high at 14.3 percent.

“Although there are a few weak spots, multifamily demand and rent growth remain incredibly strong throughout the country,” state Matrix analysts in the new report. “Of our top 30 metros, rent growth was up at least 8.8 percent over the last year in all but one.”

Rent growth was also positive in all 30 metros over the last one-month, three-month and 12-month periods. Markets in Florida and the Southwest maintained the top spots in year-over-year rankings, but more recently Boston, New York, San Jose and Philadelphia have been the top performers.

Additionally, the average single-family asking rent in the U.S. reached an all-time high of $2,018 in last month. Year-over-year growth for single-family homes dropped 110 basis points to 13.2 percent.

How long can the multifamily market’s superb performance continue? Deceleration is anticipated any month now, due to economic contraction, surging inflation, interest rate hikes and ongoing supply-chain issues. Learn more in the latest multifamily report.

Across the country, multifamily rents have skyrocketed. Year-over-year rents are up by double digits in nine of the top 30 markets, while national YoY rent growth is up 6.3%. Emerging from the pandemic, a perfect storm of migration, enhanced government stimulus and a hot housing market, among other factors, has enabled this extremely strong growth.