While rents have declined nationally over the past year, St. Louis is one of the exceptions. According to the December 2025 National Rent Report from Apartment List, the St. Louis metro saw a 4.3% year-over-year increase in rent prices, placing it among the top ten large U.S. metro areas for rent growth.
The national picture looks very different. Rents fell by 1.0% in November alone and are now down 1.1% compared to the same time last year. This marks the fourth straight month of nationwide rent declines. In fact, national median rent has dropped 5.2% from its August 2022 peak and now stands at $1,367. Meanwhile, vacancy continues to rise across the country, reaching a record 7.2% this month. It’s taking longer to lease units too, with average time on market up to 36 days.
In contrast, St. Louis remains one of the few large metros bucking the trend. Other high-growth markets include Providence, RI (+5.2%), San Jose, CA (+5.0%), and Chicago, IL (+4.4%). This growth likely reflects sustained rental demand in affordable Midwest markets that haven’t been oversupplied with new multifamily construction like many Sun Belt cities. Austin, TX leads the nation in year-over-year rent declines at -6.8%, followed by Denver (-5.1%) and New Orleans (-4.9%).
You can view all the data and interactive charts from the report by clicking the image below or by going here.
Year-over-Year Rent Change : US Metropolitan Areas
