September 2026 Rental Market Update: Rent & Days on Market by City

Last updated on: Sep 28, 2026

Published on: Sep 21, 2026

Houses are taking longer to rent while rents hold steady. Nomad's September 2026 rental market update tracks rent and days on market across 67 U.S. markets using Zillow Rentals data. The pattern this month: owners are holding their asking price and absorbing the cost as vacancy, which gets harder once the fall leasing window closes.

Key takeaways

Houses took an average of 66 days to lease in September 2026, up from 64 in August and 53 in September 2025, according to Zillow Rentals data compiled by Nomad.
Rents held steady: the September 2026 average across the 67 markets was $1,920 and the median $1,833, both close to flat against August.

What stood out this month

Largest month over month days-on-market (DOM) jumps:
Salt Lake City +15%, Idaho +12%, Seattle +12%, Boston +11%, Baltimore +11%
Largest year over year DOM jumps:
Detroit +80%, Raleigh +60%, Baltimore +54%, Philadelphia +52%, San Francisco +51%
Markets that sped up month-over-month
New York -18%, Montana -16%, Maine -10%, Alabama -8%, Columbus -4%
63 of 67 markets are slower than they were in September 2025. Only Boston, Alaska, Delaware, and Montana are faster.

How Nomad landlords win when DOM stretches

Price like a pro - Nomad watches real-time listing feedback and market comps so you do not sit overpriced. Faster pricing adjustments mean more tours in week one and fewer stale days.
Photos that sell the home - Instant AI photo grading shows exactly what to fix. When it is worth it, Nomad subsidizes pro photography so your listing looks premium on every portal.
Maximum distribution without the headaches. Nomad's rental advertising pushes your listing to Zillow, Redfin and more from one workflow. More eyeballs means more qualified showings and better applications.
Financial confidence that changes your math - Guaranteed rent means once a lease is signed, your cash flow isn't at the mercy of a missed payment.

What a longer vacancy costs

At September 2026's average rent of $1,920 a month, each day a house sits empty costs its owner about $63 in lost rent ($1,920 × 12 ÷ 365). Houses in Nomad's 67-market sample took about 13 days longer to lease than in September 2025 (66 days vs. 53). That works out to roughly $820 in lost rent per turnover.

These dollar figures are Nomad's estimates, worked out from the Zillow Rentals averages above, not measured directly. To run the math for your own home, divide your monthly rent by 30.4 to get the daily cost, then multiply by the days you expect it to sit.

State and market details

State	Market	Avg. rent	Days on market	DOM vs. Aug 2026	DOM vs. Sep 2025
Alabama	Statewide	$1,400	60	−8%	+9%
Alaska	Statewide	$2,000	36	+3%	−10%
Arizona	Phoenix	$1,850	63	+2%	+21%
Arkansas	Statewide	$1,450	57	+4%	+14%
California	Los Angeles	$2,650	77	+3%	+28%
California	Oakland	$2,400	78	+7%	+47%
California	Sacramento	$1,950	44	+5%	+10%
California	San Diego	$3,100	71	+4%	+31%
California	San Francisco	$4,750	92	−1%	+51%
California	San Jose	$3,310	52	+8%	+4%
Colorado	Denver	$2,000	52	+4%	+18%
Connecticut	New Haven	$1,833	97	−3%	+49%
Delaware	Statewide	$2,000	44	+2%	−8%
District of Columbia	Washington, D.C.	$2,500	74	+7%	+25%
Florida	Jacksonville	$1,600	62	+2%	+17%
Florida	Miami	$3,100	59	+4%	+18%
Florida	Orlando	$1,900	52	+6%	+8%
Florida	Tampa	$2,000	59	+9%	+13%
Georgia	Atlanta	$2,100	88	−1%	+21%
Hawaii	Statewide	$3,200	154	0%	+50%
Idaho	Statewide	$1,795	46	+12%	+24%
Illinois	Chicago	$2,022	63	+9%	+34%
Indiana	Indianapolis	$1,500	52	+6%	+4%
Iowa	Statewide	$1,150	51	0%	+13%
Kansas	Statewide	$1,391	50	+6%	+14%
Kentucky	Louisville	$1,250	73	+3%	+30%
Louisiana	New Orleans	$1,617	76	0%	+25%
Maine	Statewide	$2,000	60	−10%	+15%
Maryland	Baltimore	$1,650	122	+11%	+54%
Massachusetts	Boston	$3,400	111	+11%	−21%
Michigan	Detroit	$1,200	119	+7%	+80%
Minnesota	Minneapolis	$1,595	65	−3%	+38%
Mississippi	Statewide	$1,500	67	−3%	+26%
Missouri	Kansas City	$1,425	49	−2%	+7%
Missouri	St. Louis	$1,250	74	−1%	+37%
Montana	Statewide	$1,845	42	−16%	−2%
Nebraska	Statewide	$1,371	46	+7%	+18%
Nevada	Las Vegas	$1,942	49	+4%	+14%
New Hampshire	Statewide	$2,150	81	+7%	+33%
New Jersey	Newark	$2,100	69	+1%	+21%
New Mexico	Statewide	$1,725	52	0%	+21%
New York	New York	$3,695	65	−18%	+18%
North Carolina	Charlotte	$1,995	68	0%	+42%
North Carolina	Raleigh	$1,800	77	+3%	+60%
North Dakota	Statewide	$1,100	63	+9%	+9%
Ohio	Cincinnati	$1,428	70	−3%	+35%
Ohio	Cleveland	$1,249	81	+3%	+23%
Ohio	Columbus	$1,495	64	−4%	+25%
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	$1,395	53	−2%	+18%
Oregon	Portland	$1,850	46	+5%	+10%
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	$1,600	91	+8%	+52%
Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh	$1,526	70	+3%	+9%
Rhode Island	Providence	$2,100	60	+3%	+40%
South Carolina	Statewide	$1,800	58	+4%	+7%
South Dakota	Statewide	$1,200	61	0%	+39%
Tennessee	Nashville	$2,200	49	+4%	+2%
Texas	Austin	$1,986	60	0%	+11%
Texas	Dallas	$1,969	89	+6%	+16%
Texas	Houston	$1,900	63	+2%	+19%
Texas	San Antonio	$1,600	64	+5%	+10%
Utah	Salt Lake City	$1,600	46	+15%	+31%
Vermont	Statewide	$2,200	70	−3%	+21%
Virginia	Richmond	$1,695	60	+3%	+40%
Washington	Seattle	$2,195	47	+12%	+27%
West Virginia	Statewide	$1,200	64	+5%	+28%
Wisconsin	Milwaukee	$1,295	52	+2%	+11%
Wyoming	Cheyenne	$1,621	26	−4%	+24%

Want to see how your market is moving and what your home should rent for? Explore Nomad's market analytics and get a free rent estimate.

FAQ

How long does it take to rent a house in 2026?
About 66 days on average, according to Zillow Rentals data for 67 U.S. markets compiled by Nomad for September 2026. That's up from 53 days in September 2025. The range is wide: houses in Cheyenne, Wyoming leased in 26 days on average, while statewide in Hawaii they took 154. The market table above has the figure for your area.

Are rents dropping?
Barely. In the 65 markets covered by both Nomad's September 2025 and September 2026 reports, the average rent dipped 0.3% year over year, from $1,923 to $1,918, based on Zillow Rentals data. Rents fell in 40 of those markets, rose in 14 and didn't change in 11. Month over month, the September 2026 average of $1,920 was close to flat against August. The bigger shift is in time on market, not price.

About this data

The 67 markets are 48 metro areas and 19 statewide figures. Rent is the simple average of each market's figure across all bedroom counts, and days on market covers houses only. Source: Zillow Rentals market trends, pulled September 1, 2026. Year-over-year figures compare against Nomad's September 2025 report.