RentLens updates: July 2026

July was about making the data more useful, and more open. Here’s what’s new on RentLens, plus a look at where rents are headed as summer winds down.

What’s new

Reports, easier to scan. The Reports tab now supports sortable columns and inline tooltips explaining what each metric means, so you’re not left guessing what a column like “3-yr change” means when you’re comparing a dozen markets at once.

Free market pages for every metro and state. You can now browse current rent, year-over-year change, and a short-term forecast for any of 700+ US metros and all 50 states at rentlens.co/rent — no account required. It’s the fastest way to check a market before digging into the full interactive Explorer, and an easy link to send a client or colleague.

Market pulse

The typical US metro rent sits at $1,557 as of June 2026, up +3.6% ▲ year-over-year across the markets we track — a steady reacceleration after a quieter spring.

Looking ahead, our proprietary ML models expect 728 of 733 tracked metros ▲ to keep climbing over the next 12 months, with only a handful of overbuilt markets projected to soften. If you want the full picture for a specific metro — the 12-month trajectory, confidence bands, and which markets are most and least exposed — that’s what the Pro forecast unlocks.

Explore the interactive forecast at rentlens.co →