Zumper’s 2025 Annual Rent Report & Renter Survey is here to offer one of the clearest looks yet at how renters are living, spending, and navigating today’s evolving housing landscape. This year’s findings paint a picture of renters under pressure but also adapting quickly to new economic realities and technologies. The report breaks down regional rent trends, economic forces, generational differences, technology adoption, and what’s ahead for 2026.
Key Findings
59% of renters are rent-burdened
Affordability remains the defining challenge. While renters say a fair share of income to spend on rent is 28%, they actually spend 40% on average. More than half fall into the rent-burdened category, underscoring why financial stress remains so widespread.
Renters are moving to job-dense cities
The top five destinations renters relocated to in 2025 were: Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York City, San Francisco, and Charlotte.
Remote work is shrinking fast
Only 12% of renters now work exclusively from home, half the rate seen during 2021-2023. As return-to-office policies solidify, more renters are gravitating back toward major employment hubs.
Homeownership and the American Dream is being redefined
34% of renters said they do not believe the American Dream includes owning a home, up from 27% in 2021. High prices, elevated mortgage rates, and lifestyle preferences are pushing many renters to view long-term renting as a practical, and sometimes preferred, path.
Economic anxiety runs high
82% of renters say they are unsure or not confident in the economy, and 66% believe the U.S. is currently in a recession. This uncertainty affects everything from savings to mobility.
Millennials feel the least secure in their jobs
Despite being in their prime earning years, Millennials reported feeling the lowest job security of any generation, reflecting concerns about layoffs, affordability, and economic volatility.
AI is rapidly becoming part of the rental journey
AI usage during the rental search has more than doubled, with nearly 10% of renters saying they used tools like ChatGPT, rising as high as 15% in major coastal cities. From tour booking to Q&A support, AI is reshaping how renters find a home.
Download Zumper’s December 2025 National Rent Report data:
About
For Zumper’s 2025 annual renter survey, a total of 6,019 respondents aged 18+ from all 50 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., were surveyed from July through September 2025. The survey was sent to Zumper and PadMapper users based in the United States and shared among their family and friends. All responses were gathered online, with a monetary incentive of the chance to win one of four $500 cash prizes.
The rental data for Zumper’s National Rent Report analyzes over one million active listings across the country every month. Listings are aggregated to calculate median asking rents for the top 100 most populous cities and therefore provides a comprehensive view of the current state of the market. Any data that is reported does not include short term listings. A full methodology on the rental data can be found here.
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