United States rent index rises in October 2026

Rents in the United States edged higher again in October 2026. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national rent index, which uses 1982-84=100 as its base period, stood at 451.49 in October 2026. In September 2026 the index stood at 450.40. Housing Market Group calculates the month-on-month change from September 2026 to October 2026 at 0.2%, based on the Bureau's figures.

The October reading extends a pattern seen over the preceding months. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded the index at 446.94 in June 2026, 447.96 in July 2026 and 449.00 in August 2026, before it reached 450.40 in September 2026. Every reading in this period was above the reading for the month before, so the October 2026 level is the highest in the sequence covered here. The gains have been gradual rather than sharp, and the latest monthly rise of 0.2% fits that steady pattern.

The index is measured against a base period of 1982-84=100. A level of 451.49 therefore shows that rents tracked by the Bureau are now far above where they stood in that base period. The measure is built to follow how rents change over time rather than to show what any individual tenant pays. It is most useful for judging the direction and pace of rent movements at the national level.

The figures discussed here describe the country as a whole. National measures can hide differences between cities, states and types of property. The data available for this report does not break the October 2026 reading down by area, compare it with other countries or set it alongside HMG platform data on search demand or listings. Readers following a particular local market may see conditions that differ from the national trend.

Taken together, the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show a rent index that rose in every month from June 2026 to October 2026, reaching 451.49 in the latest reading. The most recent step, a 0.2% rise from September 2026 to October 2026 according to HMG's calculation, keeps the national measure on the upward path seen over the summer and early autumn.