Median Rent Around Most Arlington Metro Stations Falls From 2020

ARLINGTON, VA — Rent prices tend to be higher near transit due to the convenience factor for commuters heading to work and other destinations. But the COVID-19 pandemic changed that as the DC Metro saw ridership drop with stay-at-home orders a shift toward remote working. Even as things reopen, rail system continues to struggle with bringing back riders as commuters have changed their habits.

These trends are evident in RentHop's latest report on median one-bedroom rent near DC Metro stations. RentHop releases the report annually, showing the year-to-year changes in median rent. The study found rent decreased in the area of 55 of 91 Metro stops.

RentHop data scientist Shane Lee looked at rental prices between March 1, 2021 to May 31, 2021 at apartments within half a mile of a Metro station. Data is based on non-duplicated listings and WMATA GIS data for Metrorail stops from OpenData DC. If there were 20 unique data points, RentHop calculated the median. If there weren't 20 unique data points, the radius from the stop was increased to ensure there were enough unique listings when calculating the median.

According to the study, median rent increased near 32 Metro stops and did not change near four stops.

The Metro stations with the largest median rent increases were: West Hyattsville (up 5.58 percent, median rent $1,372.50), Georgia Avenue/Petworth (up 4.41 percent, median rent $1,727), Naylor Road (up 4.35 percent, median rent $1,200), Braddock Road (up 4.29 percent, median rent $1,825), and Branch Avenue (up 3.82 percent, median rent $1,765).

Stations with the largest median rent drops were: Navy Yard/Ballpark (down 13.79 percent, median rent $1,875), Archives/Navy Memorial (down 13 percent, median rent $2,175), Rosslyn (down 12.97 percent, median rent $1,950), Farragut North (down 12.74 percent, median rent $2,042), and Judiciary Square (down 12.36 percent, median rent $2,190).

Although the median rent prices around all the Orange line stations dropped since 2020, they increased slightly around three Blue/Yellow stations in Arlington over the same time period.

One Bedroom Median Rent Around Arlington Metro Stations

• Rosslyn - Blue, Orange/Silver: $1,697 (-13 percent)
• Courthouse - Orange/Silver: $1,800 (-9.9 percent)
• Clarendon - Orange/Silver: $2,069 (-6 percent)
• Virginia Square/GMU - Orange/Silver: $1,900 (-6.2 percent)
• Ballston/MU - Orange/Silver: $1,875 (-8.5 percent)
• Arlington Cemetery - Blue: $1,750 (-0.7 percent)
• Pentagon - Blue/Yellow: $1,909 (1.8 percent)
• Pentagon City - Blue/Yellow: $1,909 (1.8 percent)
• Crystal City - Blue/Yellow: $2,039 (0.7 percent)
• Ronald Reagan - Washington National Airport - Blue/Yellow: $2,000 (-4.8 percent)

Nearby, median prices at the Tysons Metro stations, with the exception of the Tysons Corner station. That station saw prices increase by 2.6 percent to a median $1,690. The price near the Dunn Loring Metro increased by 1.3 percent to $1,773, while the price near the West Falls Church Metro increased by 1.5 percent to $1,675.

See RentHop's full interactive map of median one-bedroom rent by Metro station.

Patch editor Emily Leayman contributed to the reporting of this story.