renter's market

Dallas and Houston lead nation among families who rent instead of own

Dallas ranks second nationally when it comes to the net change in renters with children.

HIgs2006/Getty Images

While Dallas is one of the most affordable cities in the country when it comes to cost of living and quality of life, there’s one place where life in the city might be coming up a bit short, according to one study: the soaring prices and shortage of entry-level, single-family homes.

Dallas-Fort Worth ranks second nationally when it comes to the net change in renters with children. In the 10 years between 2006 and 2016, an increase of 101,000 households were renting instead of owning. Houston comes in first; 107,000 more families were renting rather than owning during the same time period.

Nationally, in the decade between 2006 and 2016, the drop in the number of families with children who own their home has reached almost 3.6 million, while the same demographic living in rentals has increased by 1.9 million.

Texas isn’t alone in the trend. This study, released by real estate blog Rent Café, shows that families with children who are renting apartments is on the rise in the 30 largest U.S. metros, while ownership is declining.

The issue is simple supply and demand — and there isn’t enough supply on the single-family home side to satisfy the demand. Increasing prices in single family homes have put them out of reach for many, especially those looking for a first — or entry-level — home.

In Dallas, single-family home prices increased by 45 percent in the last five years, while rents have risen by 31 percent. In Houston, these changes are 30 percent vs. 25 percent, respectively. That means potential home owners find themselves apartment hunting instead.

Since 2006, 1.1 million new apartments were built nationally. In Dallas, 42 percent of new apartments built over the last dozen years were classified as family-sized (two or more bedrooms); in Houston, that percentage is 45 percent.

A number of factors have contributed to families having to reassess or put the American dream on hold. In addition to the numbers game of available housing stock at prices buyers can afford, there are also tighter lending rules, putting the kibosh on some families’ plans. Additionally, some of those renters may have been families who lost their homes in the wake of the recession and they’ve not been able to climb back on the property owning ladder.

Meanwhile, single-family home prices have shot up 75 percent faster than rental rates over the last five years.

rent report

Here's how much rent prices have dropped in Dallas-Fort Worth since 2025

Photo by TOM on Unsplash

Rent prices are on the decline in most DFW cities.

Rent prices are falling statewide, and prices in certain Dallas-Fort Worth cities have declined by nearly 8 percent since last year, according to a new national rent report from Zumper.

The Zumper National Rent Report tracked year-over-year and month-over-month rent price changes in 100 U.S. cities for both one- and two-bedroom units using the most recent data available from May 2026.

Plano had the fourth-steepest rent decrease in Texas, with prices for one-bedroom units dipping 7.5 percent year-over-year to $1,360. Two-bedroom rent has dropped 5.5. percent from last year to $1,900.

In Dallas, one-bedroom rent prices fell 5.6 percent to $1,350, and two-bedroom rent is down 6.4 percent since last year to $1,900.

Arlington was the only major Texas city where rent prices increased from May 2025 to May 2026. One-bedroom rent increased nearly 3 percent to $1,090, and two-bedroom rent increased 2.1 percent to $1,480.

The cost for a single-bedroom apartment in Irving is $1,280, or the same price as it was a year ago, the report found. Two-bedroom units are 3 percent cheaper than they were last year, at $1,610.

In Fort Worth, respective rent costs for one- and two-bedroom units come out to $1,240 and $1,560.

Rent prices elsewhere in Texas
San Antonio saw the steepest drop in rent prices statewide, with one-bedroom rents falling by 10.4 percent to $950. Two-bedroom units have declined 6 percent year-over-year to $1,250.

These are the rent prices for other Texas cities in May 2026:

Austin: $1,420 for one-bedroom units; $1,860 for two-bedroom units
El Paso: $810 for one bedroom; $1,130 for two bedrooms
Houston: $1,130 for one bedroom; $1,430 for two bedroom

The report also revealed that four of the 10 U.S. metros offering the most concessions are located in Texas. Austin leads nationally with more than a third of rental units "dangling incentives to fill space," followed by San Antonio, Houston, then Dallas. A separate rent report from real estate data firm CoStar found Dallas-Fort Worth had the fifth highest apartment vacancy rate in the U.S. in March, meaning residents may be able to save on their rent depending on the financial incentives offered by landlords.

Additionally, these same markets offering generous rent concessions are also among the 10 U.S. metros with the largest population growth, which Zumper says signals ongoing tension between tenants and their landlords regarding prices.

"So while Texas absorbed a significant share of the 2023-2025 supply wave, inventory still has to lease up before landlords regain pricing power, and the steady inflow of new residents says the demand is there," the report said. "It’s just a question of when supply stops outrunning it."

From 2023 to 2024, Texas gained nearly 73,000 net new renters, making it the No. 1 magnet for renters nationwide.

rent rent report zumper apartments real estate dallas plano fort worth arlington irving