renter nation

San Antonio rises among 25 fastest-growing rental markets in the U.S.

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The number of renters in San Antonio is on the rise.

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Whether people are flocking to San Antonio for college, work, or for retirement, the rate of renters in the city has grown faster than nearly all other cities in Texas, a new study has revealed.

San Antonio has the fourth-fastest-growing rental market in the Lone Star State and ranks as the 23rd-fastest-growing market in the U.S., according to MoveBuddha.

MoveBuddha's experts investigated renter-occupied housing trends from 2019-2024 across more than 250 U.S. metro and micro areas with at least 10,000 rental units. Areas were ranked by the percentage of growth in renter-occupied units during the five-year period.

San Antonio's renter population has increased 16.8 percent from 2019-2024, and just over 50,900 renter-occupied units have been added during that same period. Nearly 255,000 residents have moved to the San Antonio-New Braunfels area, resulting in one new renter-occupied property per five new residents, MoveBudda found.

The report's findings revealed an unexpected trend emerging among the cities experiencing the fastest renter growth. Renter households are "exploding in locales that stand a chance of getting swept up into high regional growth and in spots that already have economies built on transient jobs," rather than in cities with pre-existing surges in population.

Furthermore, the most prominent age demographic leasing rentals isn't among college-age folks or mid-career professionals, but rather individuals heading into retirement.

"Renters aged 65-plus increased 14.12 percent from 2019 to 2024, the fastest growth of any age group across the 889 metro and micro areas analyzed," the report said.

Renter growth in Texas
The South is home to 28 of the top 50 fastest growing rental markets in America, and 10 of those markets are located in Texas. Austin has seen the most growth in renter households in Texas — at 29.2 percent — and it ranks No. 3 among the fastest-growing renter markets nationwide.

"[Austin's] robust development has helped stabilize housing prices and increased supply, even amidst waves of in-migration interest," the report said. "The metro added 93,206 renter-occupied units from 2019 to 2024, the largest numeric increase among the top 25 fastest-growing renter markets."

Renter markets in South Texas are also on the rise: McAllen and Brownsville respectively ranked 30th and 38th among the fastest-growing rental markets in the U.S. McAllen's renter population has grown 15.4 percent since 2019, and Brownsville's has increased 13.3 percent.

Other Texas cities with the fastest-growing rental markets that ranked in the top 100 include:

No. 9 – Odessa
No. 21 – Sherman
No. 27 – Lubbock
No. 28 – Midland
No. 32 – College Station
No. 48 – Dallas
No. 55 – Killeen
No. 60 – Houston
No. 65 – Lufkin
No. 82 – Victoria

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rent report

Here's how much San Antonio rent prices have dropped since last year

City of San Antonio - Municipal Government/Facebook

San Antonio isn't as business friendly as other Texas cities, according to WalletHub.

Rent prices are falling statewide, and San Antonio's have declined more than any other major city in Texas, according to a new national rent report from Zumper.

The Alamo city currently has second-cheapest rent in Texas, and El Paso holds on to the cheapest rents statewide.

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.

Rent prices for one-bedroom units in San Antonio have dipped 10.4 percent year-over-year, to $950, which is the steepest decline in Texas. Two-bedroom rent has dropped 6 percent from last year to $1,250.

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. A separate rent report from real estate data firm CoStar found San Antonio had the 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 prices elsewhere in Texas
Houston saw the second-steepest drop in rent prices statewide, with one-bedroom rents falling by 9.6 percent to $1,130. Two-bedroom units have declined 4.7 percent year-over-year to $1,430.

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.

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

Austin: $1,420 for one-bedroom units (down 5.3 percent year-over-year); $1,860 for two-bedroom units
Dallas: $1,350 for one bedroom (down 5.6 percent); $1,900 for two bedrooms
El Paso: $810 for one bedroom (down 9 percent); $1,130 for two bedrooms
Fort Worth: $1,240 for one bedroom (down 0.8 percent); $1,560 for two bedrooms
Irving: $1,280 for one bedroom (0 percent change); $1,610 for two bedrooms
Plano: $1,360 for one bedroom (down 7.5 percent); $1,900 for two bedrooms

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