Home prices, rents and mortgage rates: September 2026
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.86% in September 2026, up 0.19 points from August 2026. Rent in the consumer price index rose 2.7% over the year to August 2026. In FHFA’s index for 2026 Q2, the median metro’s home prices rose 3.3% over the year, with increases in 361 of 410 metros. HUD’s 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents for fiscal 2027 rose 1.9% in the median metro from fiscal 2026. The Census Bureau’s survey for 2024 puts the US median home value at $360,600.
This is the first of these pages, so it sets out where each series stands.
Mortgage rates
Freddie Mac’s 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.86% in September 2026 (four weekly readings), up 0.19 points from the August 2026 average of 6.67%.
The latest reading is 7.03%, dated September 24, 2026. A year earlier, the September 2025 average was 6.35%, so the rate is up 0.51 points on the year.
Rent
The Bureau of Labor Statistics index for rent of primary residence rose 2.7% over the year to August 2026. Compared with July 2026, it rose 0.2%.
Home prices by metro
FHFA’s all-transactions house price index for 2026 Q2 covers 410 metros on this site that also have a figure for 2025 Q2. Over that year, the median metro’s index rose 3.3%. Of those metros, 361 rose and 49 fell.
From 2026 Q1 to 2026 Q2, the median metro’s index rose 1.2%.
Largest rises over the year
| Metro | Over the year | Over the quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Muncie, IN | +13.9% | +8.9% |
| Owensboro, KY | +13.0% | +7.4% |
| Anniston-Oxford, AL | +12.0% | +3.5% |
| Paducah, KY-IL | +11.4% | +7.0% |
| Sumter, SC | +11.1% | +12.5% |
| Lima, OH | +11.1% | +3.9% |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | +11.1% | +4.4% |
| Charleston, WV | +10.5% | +2.6% |
| Lawton, OK | +10.2% | -1.8% |
| Valdosta, GA | +10.0% | +3.4% |
Largest falls over the year
| Metro | Over the year | Over the quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Ithaca, NY | -5.2% | -5.1% |
| Grants Pass, OR | -5.2% | -4.3% |
| Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | -4.9% | -5.8% |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley, CA | -4.8% | -4.7% |
| Mansfield, OH | -3.6% | -4.7% |
| Pueblo, CO | -2.9% | -3.2% |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | -2.4% | -1.6% |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | -2.3% | -0.4% |
| Boulder, CO | -2.3% | -1.5% |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | -2.2% | -1.3% |
Fair Market Rents by metro
HUD’s 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents for fiscal 2027 (from October 1, 2026) rose 1.9% in the median metro from fiscal 2026. Of the 410 metros with a rent for both years, 266 rose, 143 fell and one was unchanged.
The tables give the monthly rent for fiscal 2026, then for fiscal 2027. HUD’s county figures are combined into each metro’s rent as the methodology describes.
Largest increases
| Metro | 2-bedroom rent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Hattiesburg, MS | $1,047 to $1,316 | +25.7% |
| Joplin, MO-KS | $947 to $1,153 | +21.8% |
| Fayetteville, NC | $1,251 to $1,476 | +18.0% |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | $1,757 to $2,069 | +17.8% |
| Roanoke, VA | $1,254 to $1,464 | +16.7% |
| Peoria, IL | $1,039 to $1,212 | +16.7% |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $1,742 to $2,015 | +15.7% |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | $1,166 to $1,343 | +15.2% |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $1,950 to $2,242 | +15.0% |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $1,358 to $1,546 | +13.8% |
Largest decreases
| Metro | 2-bedroom rent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Flagstaff, AZ | $1,921 to $1,729 | -10.0% |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $2,693 to $2,424 | -10.0% |
| Yuma, AZ | $1,382 to $1,244 | -10.0% |
| Salinas, CA | $2,684 to $2,416 | -10.0% |
| Erie, PA | $1,212 to $1,091 | -10.0% |
| Rochester, NY | $1,573 to $1,416 | -10.0% |
| Charlottesville, VA | $1,824 to $1,642 | -10.0% |
| Reading, PA | $1,575 to $1,418 | -10.0% |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | $1,365 to $1,229 | -10.0% |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | $1,358 to $1,223 | -9.9% |
Median home value
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2024 (1-year estimates, table B25077) puts the US median value of owner-occupied homes at $360,600. The metro pages open with their own metro’s figure from the same survey.
Highest metro medians
| Metro | Median value |
|---|---|
| San Rafael, CA | $1,547,000 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $1,528,500 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA | $1,451,000 |
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $1,061,300 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA | $1,037,200 |
Lowest metro medians
| Metro | Median value |
|---|---|
| Johnstown, PA | $127,200 |
| Beckley, WV | $135,100 |
| Decatur, IL | $142,600 |
| Charleston, WV | $144,300 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | $145,900 |
Sources and limits
Sources: Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index for rent of primary residence, both through FRED; the FHFA all-transactions House Price Index for metro areas; HUD Fair Market Rents; and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, table B25077. Every figure here is computed from the data behind the rest of this site.
The FHFA index and the rent index are not seasonally adjusted, so one quarter or one month includes the usual seasonal swing. FHFA restates earlier quarters with each release, so its figures on this page can shift when a new quarter comes out.
House figures are estimates for the whole metro market, from the FHFA index. Not financial advice.