Your monthly guide to rental conditions in Dallas-Fort Worth. This is our October 2026 report, covering September 2026 rental data: what rents looked like last month, what's driving the market, and what it means if you own a rental home.
Dallas-Fort Worth Rental Market Snapshot — September 2026
Here's where Dallas-Fort Worth rents landed in September 2026, across all property types — apartments, condos, townhomes, and single-family homes.
Dallas-Fort Worth's median rent landed at $1,758 in September 2026, down 1.99% year-over-year and off another 0.54% from August, with homes averaging 28 days on market as the peak leasing season wound down. Landlords heading into Q4 are facing a softer pricing environment, so pricing competitively from day one will matter more than waiting for an offer that may not come.
| Metric | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Median Rent (All Types, Dallas-Fort Worth) | $1,758 | -2.0% YoY |
| Avg. Days on Market | 28 days | — |
Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all rental property types, September 2026.
What's Driving Dallas-Fort Worth Rental Market Conditions Right Now
Dallas-Fort Worth Rental Supply and New Construction
The heaviest new supply is concentrating in the northern suburbs, where Allen, McKinney, Frisco, and The Colony/Far North Carrollton corridor are expected to account for roughly one-third of all 2026 multifamily deliveries across Dallas-Fort Worth. Fort Worth's northwest corridor is also absorbing significant volume, with the city issuing 5,767 building permits in just the first four months of 2026, up 10.7% over the same stretch last year. On the build-to-rent side, new starts have cooled sharply, with the North Dallas BTR submarket seeing a 76% year-over-year drop in units under construction in Q1 2026, so that competitive pressure is easing even as apartment supply keeps building.
Why People Rent in Dallas-Fort Worth
Dallas-Fort Worth's job market keeps pulling renters in: the metro supported 4.36 million jobs as of June 2026, with 54,600 net new positions added year-over-year. Homeownership remains out of reach for many of those workers, with 30-year mortgage rates at 7.28% pushing monthly ownership costs well above what renting requires in most DFW zip codes. About 40.1% of households here rent rather than own, and that base stays stable because DFW continues drawing relocating workers and families, particularly into suburban corridors near strong school districts like Richardson ISD in Lake Highlands and the highly-rated districts anchoring McKinney and Frisco.
What This Means for Dallas-Fort Worth Landlords
The peak leasing window (April through August) just closed, so you're now in the slower fall stretch when the pool of actively searching renters shrinks and days on market stretch out. With the blended median rent down about 2% year-over-year and new supply still arriving in the northern suburbs, price your vacancy at or just below comparable listings to move it before the holiday slowdown tightens your options further.
Dallas-Fort Worth Rent by City — September 2026
Allen leads Dallas-Fort Worth in leasing speed at just 16 days on market, with Plano and Fort Worth close behind at 18 and 19 days, pointing to the strongest renter demand in the northern and western corridors. At the other end of the table, Mesquite sat at 41 days, followed by Dallas at 35 and Grand Prairie at 34, making these the softest submarkets in September. Across the metro, the split is sharp: most cities clustered between 16 and 24 days, while a handful of markets stretched past 30 days, giving owners a clear signal about where pricing power holds and where it does not.
| City | Median Rent | 2BR Median | 3BR Median | Avg. DOM | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | $1,926 | $2,417 | $3,224 | 35 days | -3.0% |
| Fort Worth, TX | $1,735 | $1,692 | $2,078 | 19 days | +1.3% |
| Arlington, TX | $1,549 | $1,556 | $2,171 | 24 days | -0.7% |
| Plano, TX | $1,779 | $1,838 | $2,457 | 18 days | +0.5% |
| Irving, TX | $1,595 | $1,797 | $2,527 | 31 days | -12.0% |
| Garland, TX | $1,700 | $1,631 | $2,090 | 31 days | -6.0% |
| Grand Prairie, TX | $1,612 | $1,635 | $2,250 | 34 days | -5.4% |
| Frisco, TX | $2,031 | $1,932 | $2,576 | 31 days | +2.6% |
| McKinney, TX | $1,752 | $1,759 | $2,318 | 28 days | +0.9% |
| Mesquite, TX | $1,627 | $1,483 | $1,983 | 41 days | -5.0% |
| Denton, TX | $1,446 | $1,377 | $1,991 | 33 days | -2.0% |
| Carrollton, TX | $1,792 | $1,699 | $2,565 | 22 days | -2.7% |
| Richardson, TX | $1,752 | $1,872 | $2,445 | 21 days | -8.8% |
| Lewisville, TX | $1,516 | $1,597 | $2,309 | 22 days | +0.4% |
| Allen, TX | $1,759 | $2,130 | $2,800 | 16 days | +3.3% |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all property types, September 2026. Median Rent is across all property types. |
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Dallas, TX: Uptown Dallas pulls in young professionals and corporate relocators with its walkable mix of luxury rentals, restaurants, and office towers, making it one of the few urban-core environments in North Texas. At $1,926 median rent and 35 days on market, Dallas is leasing slower than most of its DFW neighbors, and the 3.0% year-over-year drop signals that new supply is weighing on pricing even in the metro's largest market.
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Fort Worth, TX: At 19 days on market, Fort Worth was one of the fastest-moving cities in DFW during September, with homes leasing well ahead of the metro's pace. Rents slipped 2.1% month-over-month to a median of $1,735, but the 1.3% year-over-year gain shows the market is absorbing that seasonal softness without giving back annual progress.
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Arlington, TX: The median rent of $1,549 and a 24-day DOM put Arlington in the mid-range for both price and leasing speed across DFW. Month-over-month, rents were roughly flat at -0.4%, and the modest 0.7% year-over-year dip suggests Arlington is holding its own even as neighboring cities see sharper annual declines.
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Plano, TX: At 18 days on market, Plano was among the fastest-leasing cities in the metro during September, a sign that demand held up well even as the broader DFW market softened. The median rent of $1,779 was nearly flat month-over-month (-0.1%) and up 0.5% year-over-year, making Plano one of the more stable performers in this report.
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Irving, TX: Las Colinas gives Irving a distinct identity in DFW, combining office towers, waterfront dining, entertainment venues, and DART rail access into one of the most connected suburban environments in the metro. That appeal hasn't fully insulated pricing: the median rent of $1,595 fell 12.0% year-over-year, the steepest annual decline of any city in this report, pointing to meaningful supply pressure or shifting renter preferences pulling demand elsewhere.
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Garland, TX: The median rent of $1,700 came with a 31-day DOM and a 6.0% year-over-year decline, placing Garland among the softer-performing cities in September. The month-over-month dip of 0.5% is modest, but the annual trajectory suggests landlords here need to price competitively to avoid extended vacancy.
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Grand Prairie, TX: Grand Prairie posted a median rent of $1,612 and a 34-day DOM in September, both signs of a market where renters have time to shop. The 5.4% year-over-year decline and a 0.6% month-over-month drop indicate continued downward pressure, so pricing at or slightly below comparable listings is the most effective way to move a vacancy here.
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Frisco, TX: Frisco sits at the center of one of DFW's highest-supply corridors, with Allen/McKinney and Frisco together accounting for a significant share of the metro's 2026 multifamily deliveries. Despite that supply pressure, Frisco's median rent of $2,031 ticked up 0.5% month-over-month and 2.6% year-over-year, making it one of the few cities in this report where rents are trending higher on both timeframes.
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McKinney, TX: RentCafe named McKinney the number-one city for renters in America in 2025, built on quality schools, strong infrastructure, and a historic downtown that draws renters wanting a small-town feel with big-city access. That reputation is showing up in the data: at 28 days on market and a median rent of $1,752, McKinney held flat month-over-month and gained 0.9% year-over-year while much of the metro was retreating.
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Mesquite, TX: At 41 days on market, Mesquite was the slowest-leasing city in this report by a meaningful margin, with homes sitting roughly two weeks longer than the DFW midpoint. The 5.0% year-over-year rent decline to a median of $1,627 confirms this is a tenant-favorable market right now, and landlords should expect to price aggressively and offer move-in flexibility to compete.
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Denton, TX: Denton posted the lowest median rent in this report at $1,446, with a 33-day DOM and a 2.0% year-over-year decline. The month-over-month change was barely positive at +0.1%, essentially flat, so while rents are down on the year, pricing appears to be stabilizing rather than accelerating downward.
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Carrollton, TX: At 22 days on market, Carrollton leased faster than most cities in this report, suggesting solid demand even as rents dipped 2.7% year-over-year to a median of $1,792. The 0.3% month-over-month uptick is a small positive signal, and for landlords here, the relatively quick leasing pace means a well-priced vacancy should not sit long.
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Richardson, TX: Lake Highlands and the broader Richardson ISD draw families who prioritize school quality, giving Richardson a stable renter base anchored by the school calendar. Even so, the 8.8% year-over-year rent decline to a median of $1,752 was the second-steepest annual drop in this report, though a 21-day DOM shows homes are still leasing relatively quickly once priced right.
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Lewisville, TX: Lewisville's median rent of $1,516 and a 22-day DOM point to a market that is leasing efficiently at an accessible price point. Rents were up 0.5% month-over-month and barely positive year-over-year at +0.4%, making Lewisville one of the steadier performers in a metro where most cities are showing annual declines.
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Allen, TX: Allen sits at the heart of one of DFW's busiest supply corridors, yet first-quarter 2026 absorption outpaced new deliveries across the Allen/McKinney submarket. At 16 days on market, the fastest leasing pace in this entire report, and a median rent of $1,759 that held flat month-over-month, Allen is absorbing inventory faster than anywhere else in the metro. The +3.3% year-over-year gain is one of the few positive annual figures in this report, so owners here have room to hold their asking price rather than concede.
Dallas-Fort Worth Rent by Bedroom Count and Property Type — September 2026
Rent by Bedroom Count in Dallas-Fort Worth
Rents across Dallas-Fort Worth climbed steadily with each additional bedroom in September, but the jumps were not uniform. The biggest single step came between 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom rentals, where the median rose $625, from $1,761 to $2,386. The 1-bedroom median of $1,318 sat only $48 above the studio median of $1,270, meaning renters who need a separate bedroom paid almost nothing extra for one. At the top end, 4-bedroom rentals came in at $2,892, a $506 premium over 3-bedrooms and $1,622 above the studio baseline.
| Bedroom Count in Dallas-Fort Worth | Median Rent (September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,270 |
| 1-Bedroom | $1,318 |
| 2-Bedroom | $1,761 |
| 3-Bedroom | $2,386 |
| 4-Bedroom | $2,892 |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, Dallas-Fort Worth, September 2026. |
Rent by Property Type in Dallas-Fort Worth
Single-family homes led all property types in September 2026, with a median rent of $2,693, a $935 premium (53.2%) above the blended metro median of $1,758. Townhouses came in second at $2,502, and condos at $2,123, both well clear of the blended figure. Apartments sat $202 below the metro median at $1,557, but they leased in just 19 days, far faster than single-family homes (40 days), townhouses (54 days), or condos (62 days). That DOM spread suggests apartments absorbed demand quickly, while the attached and detached options with higher price points took longer to fill.
| Property Type in Dallas-Fort Worth | Median Rent | Avg. Days on Market | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Property Types (Blended) | $1,758 | 28 days | -2.0% |
| Single Family | $2,693 | 40 days | +5.7% |
| Condo | $2,123 | 62 days | +20.2% |
| Townhouse | $2,502 | 54 days | +12.1% |
| Apartment | $1,557 | 19 days | +9.2% |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, Dallas-Fort Worth, September 2026. |
Data Sources & Methodology
- Rental market data: Median rents, days on market, listing counts, and rent change figures. Sourced from county public records, deed and tax assessor data, and rental listings on publicly accessible platforms.
- Doorstead Platform Data: Internal leasing outcomes from Doorstead-managed rental homes across all property types, including days to lease. Trailing 12 months.
Data refreshed monthly. Doorstead benchmarks reflect managed properties only and may not be representative of the broader Dallas-Fort Worth rental market.