Arlington Ranks No. 1 In Virginia For Ease In Finding New Apartment

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington ranks as the No. 1 place in Virginia and the 20th ranked place in the country for ease in finding a new apartment in a highly desirable location, according to a new report by RentCafe.

Arlington ranks so high because its stock of new apartments has expanded by 30.7 percent in the last decade in response to the increased demand for housing, RentCafe said.

A total of 11,883 apartment units were built between 2012 and 2021, which offer an average of 830 square feet of space. According to the report, 94.1 percent of the apartments in Arlington, or 11,187 units, are located in top quality neighborhoods. The 94.1 percent represents the 8th greatest share in the country.

RentCafe defines a "top quality neighborhood" as a well-maintained neighborhood close to major employment sources, good quality sources of shopping and entertainment, a large body of water, public transportation or major thoroughfares.

More than 11 percent of the rental apartments built in Arlington over the past 10 years are still vacant. So finding a new apartment to call home in Arlington “shouldn’t be that challenging,” according to RentCafe.

“In fact, Arlington ranks 1st in the state — and 10th nationwide — when it comes to availability of new rentals,” RentCafe said.

RentCafe is a nationwide apartment search website that helps renters find apartments and houses for rent throughout the U.S.

RentCafe's new report showing the wide availability of apartment rentals comes out as Arlington officials are pushing a Missing Middle housing proposal that would create more housing for sale or rent in single-family neighborhoods.

But opponents of the current version of Arlington County’s Missing Middle proposal — which would allow two-to-eight-unit buildings in single-family neighborhoods — contend it will do little to remedy the scarcity of affordable housing in the county and will create new homeownership opportunities mostly for higher-income earners.

The large number of apartment units built in Arlington over the past decade have extremely high rents, making them unaffordable for some middle income and most lower-income residents.

As of last spring, the average studio rental apartment in Arlington cost $1,905, an 18-percent increase over the previous year, according to Rent.com. The $2,340 average for a one bedroom is up 14 percent, while the average $3,152 for a two bedroom is up 15 percent. An average three-bedroom apartment costs $3,392, a 6-percent increase.

Arlington ranked as the second most expensive in the Washington, D.C., region for one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom rentals.

RentCafe compiled its new report by analyzing Yardi Matrix apartment data across 178 U.S. cities. The Yardi Matrix data refers to large-scale multifamily properties of 50 units or more, completed through December 2021.