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Dallas sees dramatic surge in number of senior renters in last decade

A senior couple inspecting a potential house rental

Rising property taxes and home prices may be prompting older homeowners to consider renting.

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New U.S. Census data has revealed a startling trend regarding Dallas' renter population: The number of renters aged 65 and older has surged 66.5 percent over the last decade. There are more than 78,000 seniors currently renting their homes across Dallas-Fort Worth.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington saw the fifth-highest growth rate in senior renters nationwide from 2013 to 2023, according to a new renter population study by Point2Homes.

The report analyzed the latest Census data for renters across every age demographic in the 75 biggest U.S. metros. Nationally, the number of senior renters has increased by 2.4 million people over the last decade.

DFW also ranked as the metro with the second-highest growth rate in senior renters statewide, and it experienced the No. 1 highest numerical change in renters aged 65-plus in Texas.

Austin-Round Rock claimed the No. 1 spot with an 81.1 percent increase in senior renters statewide from 2013-2023, though the Texas Capital added only 23,446 senior renters (far fewer than DFW) during that time.

Furthermore, the number of seniors renting single-family homes in Dallas-Fort Worth has more than doubled in the last 10 years, representing a 100.8 percent increase since 2013. DFW's growth fell second only to Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska-Iowa, whose growth rate for senior single-family home renters increased by 103.5 percent.

"Omaha’s affordability and senior-friendly rental options are attractive to retirees, while rising property taxes and home prices in Dallas and Austin may be prompting older homeowners to consider renting," the report's author wrote.

The report adds that these seniors are shifting their priorities and "stepping away from the burdens of homeownership" in order to live closer to family, downsize, or cut costs to simplify their standard of living.

"A Harris Poll survey showed that the older crowd now has a lower threshold for interest rates when buying, meaning they’re more sensitive to the financial burden of a mortgage," the report's author wrote. "Downsizing from larger family homes, avoiding costs and upkeep tied to ownership, and prioritizing proximity to family or medical services are also among potential motivators for renting."

Point2Homes also points out that this "senior renter boom" can be linked to the (oddly named) trend of elderly "baby chasers," meaning grandparents who choose to relocate to be closer to their grandchildren.

Senior renter demographics in Dallas-Fort Worth
The report also analyzed Dallas-Fort Worth's share of renters based on age group. Predictably, the highest share (30.6 percent) of DFW's renter population is between the ages of 25-34, with the second highest share (20.7 percent) falling to residents aged between 35-44.

Only 9.4 percent of Dallas' entire renter population is between the ages of 55-64, while 9.6 percent are seniors aged 65 and up. The metro's youngest demographic of renters, aged 18-24, only make up 16.4 percent of all DFW renters. That leaves the remaining 13.4 percent of Dallas renters falling into the 45-54 age bracket.

Senior renters in other Texas metros
Austin-Round Rock had the third-highest growth rate in senior renters from 2013-2023 in the U.S., while Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land ranked 8th nationally with a 60.3 percent increase in senior renters.

The Houston metro gained 63,749 senior renters during that time period, which was the fourth highest numerical increase nationwide.

San Antonio-New Braunfels ranked No. 62 out of all 75 U.S. metros with only a 24 percent increase in senior renters from 2013-2023, and the metro gained 11,257 senior renters.

The top 10 U.S. metros that had the highest increases in senior renters over the last decade are:

No. 1 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana (88.7 percent)
No. 2 – Jacksonville, Florida (83.7 percent)
No. 3 – Austin-Round Rock, Texas (81.1 percent)
No. 4 – New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana (69.7 percent)
No. 5 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (66.5 percent)
No. 6 – Raleigh, North Carolina (63.5 percent)
No. 7 – Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut (60.4 percent)
No. 8 – Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas (60.3 percent)
No. 9 – Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida (54.1 percent)
No. 10 – Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, North Carolina-South Carolina (53.5 percent)

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renter report

This is how dramatically Dallas rent prices have dropped since last year

Photo by Malcolm Shadrach on Unsplash

Rent is falling in Texas as a whole, with Dallas among the top three cities with the biggest declines in August.

A new Zumper rent report has revealed that Texas is leading the nation in annual rent declines since 2025, and Dallas rent prices have fallen as much as 13 percent since last August.

Zumper's monthly report analyzes one- and two-bedroom rent prices from the previous month across 100 U.S. cities, and tracks one-month and year-over-year changes.

Austin, Houston, and Dallas, respectively, locked out the top three cities where one-bedroom rent prices have plummeted more than anywhere else in the country.

A one-bedroom apartment in Dallas had a $1,270 monthly rent price in August, down 13 percent since this time last year. Two-bedroom units were 13.4 percent cheaper than they were a year ago and now sit at $1,810 per month.

The reports findings show a similar pattern across Texas' biggest metros as "elevated multifamily supply" was "absorbed through the boom years." Renters currently have the advantageous opportunity to negotiate lower rent from their landlords, according to Zumper CEO Shawn Mullahy.

"Texas is showing exactly what happens when supply materially outruns demand," Mullahy said. "Austin, Houston and Dallas added enormous amounts of inventory, and renters now have leverage because owners are competing to fill it. That won’t reverse until enough of that supply is absorbed."

Elsewhere in the Dallas-area, rent prices for a one-bedroom unit in Plano have dipped 7.1 percent since last year to $1,310. Single-bedroom units in Irving are renting for $1,210 a month, or 4.7 percent lower than they were the year before.

Across town in Fort Worth and Arlington, one-bedroom units had a monthly asking price of $1,160 and $1,080 in August. Arlington's one-bedroom rent price is unchanged from 2025, and Fort Worth's is down 3.3 percent.

This is how much it cost for a two-bedroom unit across DFW in August, compared to the previous year:

Plano: $1,920 per month, down 3.5 percent
Irving: $1,620 per month, down 4.7 percent
Fort Worth: $1,530 per month, down 5.5 percent
Arlington: $1,460 per month, down 2.8 percent

Rent prices across Texas
Austin tops the U.S. with the steepest decline in both one- and two-bedroom rent prices in August. A one-bedroom unit in Texas' capital city had a $1,260 monthly price, down 16.6 percent from August 2025. Rent for a two-bedroom unit declined even further, by 19.1 percent, to $1,610 per month.

One-bedroom apartments in Houston weren't far behind. Rent for a single-bedroom unit dipped 14.6 percent year-over-year to $1,050, and the price for a two-bedroom unit fell 5.4 percent to $1,400.

In San Antonio, single-bedroom rent prices fell 8.6 percent to $960 per month, and two-bedroom rent declined by 4.5 percent to $1,260.

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