apartment building boom

Dallas-Fort Worth ranks No. 2 for most new apartments built in 2025

Dallas is building the most new apartments out of all Metroplex-area cities in 2025.

Photo courtesy of Simpson Property Group

A new apartment construction analysis shows Dallas-Fort Worth will keep building as long as the Metroplex keeps growing. The DFW metro area has the second-highest rate of new apartments being built in 2025, bested only by New York City.

RentCafe's report, "New Apartment Construction Tops 500K Units This Year, More Than Half in 1 Region" examined apartment building data across 369 U.S. metro areas, specifically buildings containing 50 or more units.

More than 500,000 apartments are in development throughout the country this year, the report found, though that's far lower than the 640,000-plus units that were completed nationwide by the end of 2024. This year, more than half of incoming apartments are being built in the South, where three Texas metros are leading the building boom: Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston.

DFW has the second-highest number of new units being built in the U.S. this year, totaling 28,958 apartments. However, RentCafe says that's a 22.4 percent drop in completed apartments as compared to 2024.

"Even with this slowdown, the Metroplex remains one of the top places in the country for new apartment completions," the report's author wrote. "As such, this dip in construction may just be the market taking a breather after a period of intense growth. But, with so many people still moving to the area, the demand for housing remains high."

Broken down by Metroplex cities, Dallas is expected to complete 5,778 apartments this year, the most new units out of all cities in the Metroplex. Fort Worth follows behind with 3,793 units under construction. McKinney, the No. 1 best city for renters in the U.S., is building 2,006 new apartments, which is the third-highest in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Here's how many new apartments are expected to be built by the end of 2025 in other DFW cities:

Denton – 1,719 units
Frisco – 1,528 units
Anna – 1,113 units
Grand Prairie – 868 units
Carrollton – 839 units
Arlington – 816 units
Allen – 806 units
Prosper – 788 units
Greenville – 718 units
Euless – 651 units
Irving – 639 units
Rowlett – 631 units
Lewisville – 625 units
Richardson – 481 units

The top 20 cities for apartment construction
A separate RentCafe ranking of the top 20 U.S. cities (not metros) building the most new apartments in 2025 unravels the Metroplex; Dallas ranked ninth, while Fort Worth ranked 20th.

The city of Austin topped both Dallas and Fort Worth, claiming the No. 1 spot with 15,195 new units expected to be completed by the end of the year, and Houston ranked 3rd on the list with 7,770 apartments in development inside the city limits. San Antonio also earned a top-10 spot, landing in 7th place with 5,921 apartments being built in the city.

RentCafe attributes Texas' apartment building boom due to the state's reputation as a "migration magnet" with excellent job and economic growth rates.

"Southern metros typically offer streamlined approval processes and fewer regulatory hurdles, making it easier to bring multifamily projects to market," said Yardi Matrix senior analyst and manager of business intelligence Doug Ressler. "At the same time, elevated home prices and a shortage of attainable for-sale housing are pushing more residents toward rentals. For many households, single-family (housing) ownership is simply out of reach — fueling demand for rental housing."

real estate dallas fort worth apartments rentcafe study

hottest zips

Surprising Dallas neighbor ranks among hottest ZIP codes in U.S.

City of Lavon/Facebook

Movers are loving Lavon for its small-town feel and proximity to the big city.

A recent analysis of American relocation trends has revealed the small city of Lavon outside Dallas was one of the top five hottest ZIP code for movers nationwide in October 2025.

Lavon's 75166 ZIP code ranked No. 5 on MovingPlace's new list ranking the U.S. cities with the highest number of new movers per 1,000 current residents during the month of October.

According to the study's data, 961,650 moves took place across the nation last month. Lavon (population: 13,800) saw 10.8 moves per 1,000 residents in October, the fifth highest moving rate out of all U.S. cities.

Lavon is located 32 miles northeast of Dallas in Collin County. It was praised as a highly sought-after locale for movers who want to live somewhere affordable outside Dallas while still reaping the benefits from a community with a small-town feel.

The report also added that Lavon's 75166 ZIP was the No. 1 hottest ZIP code in September, but relocations dipped 7.7 percent from September to October.

"When looking at the top ZIP codes in each state, it’s clear that less populated ZIP codes often show dramatic month-over-month increases, sometimes exceeding 100 percent," the report said. "Larger cities, by contrast, maintain consistently high move volumes without extreme spikes, because their larger populations dampen the impact of individual moves."

These are the top 10 hottest U.S. ZIP codes based on moves per capita in October:

No. 1 – 78616 in Dale, Texas
No. 2 – 34987 in Port Saint Lucie, Florida
No. 3 – 37228 in Nashville, Tennessee
No. 4 – 80019 in Aurora, Colorado
No. 5 – 75166 in Lavon, Texas
No. 6 – 32461 in Inlet Beach, Florida
No. 7 – 10004 in New York, New York
No. 8 – 43137 in Lockbourne, Ohio
No. 9 – 30346 in Atlanta, Georgia
No. 10 – 78656 in Maxwell, Texas

The hottest U.S. ZIP codes by total move volume
Five Texas ZIPs ranked among MovingPlace's separate analysis of the top 10 hottest U.S. ZIP codes based on total move volume.

McKinney's ever-popular 75071 ZIP code ranked No. 5 on the list after gaining 298 new residents last month, only 72 residents shy from No. 1-ranking Washington, D.C.'s new resident count.

This North Dallas suburb also previously ranked as the No. 8 most popular ZIP for movers during the first five months of 2025.

The report said McKinney's most attractive qualities are its safety, its high-performing schools, and its proximity to outdoor recreational activities. it also helps that the suburb consistently ranks as the No. 1 hottest housing market in America, and it frequently tops lists comparing the best cities for renters or the most affordable cities in the U.S.

The top 10 hottest American ZIP codes in October based on total move volume were:

No. 1 – 20002 in Washington, D.C.
No. 2 – 78130 in New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – 78641 in Leander, Texas
No. 4 – 77433 in Cypress, Texas
No. 5 – 75071 in McKinney, Texas
No. 6 –32256 in Jacksonville, Florida
No. 7 –77493 in Katy, Texas
No. 8 – 85142 in Queen Creek, Arizona
No. 9 – 98052 in Redmond, Washington
No. 10 – 28269 in Charlotte, North Carolina

suburb real estate housing market moving mckinney dallas