Rents
How quickly rents are climbing nationally, measured against overall consumer prices — useful context for every rent-versus-buy conversation.
Latest data: September 2026
Rent growth, year over year
2.8%
September 2026
Overall inflation
3.7%
All items, September 2026
Rent vs. overall inflation
−1.0 pts
Rent rising slower
Rent growth a year ago
3.4%
September 2025
5-year peak
8.8%
March 2023
Consumer Price Index: rent of primary residence and all items.
Time range
Rent vs. overall inflation, year over year
- Rent
- All items
View as table
Reading the numbers
What it means for your clients
- Rents were up 2.8% from a year earlier in September 2026, compared with 3.7% for overall consumer prices.
- This index measures what all renters pay, including people mid-lease, so it moves slowly and tends to trail the asking rents on new leases by several months.
- For what a specific unit will rent for today, local listing and MLS rental data is the better guide; this is the national direction of travel.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Rent of Primary Residence in U.S. City Average [CUUR0000SEHA], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUR0000SEHA
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average [CPIAUCNS], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCNS
Data is refreshed several times a day as new releases are published. The Open Door is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis or any of the data publishers above. Figures are for informational purposes and aren't financial advice.