Reston's median apartment rent fell 1.1% year-over-year in September, landing at $2,389 across all apartment sizes.

The decline reverses a modest 0.2% uptick Reston recorded in August and tracks with a broader cooldown across Fairfax County, according to Apartment List data reported by FFXnow on Thursday, Oct. 1. For Reston renters, the numbers mean slightly more breathing room heading into lease-renewal season.

One-bedroom units in Reston fell to a median $2,215. Two-bedrooms landed at $2,345.

Countywide, the median rent dropped 0.8% year-over-year to $2,395 for all units. Every Fairfax community tracked by Apartment List posted a decline or held flat, with one exception: Tysons, where the median rent climbed 1.6% to $2,653.

That $264-per-month gap between Reston and Tysons widened in September. In August, Tysons had been down 0.3% year-over-year. Its swing to positive growth made it the only Fairfax market moving against the countywide slide.

Apartment List analysts said the September dip fits a seasonal pattern. The post-pandemic rental market in Fairfax has returned to cyclical norms, with rents rising through the first half of each year and falling in the second. The county's all-time monthly peak was June 2025, when the overall median hit $2,472.

Analysts noted that 2026 has been milder than recent years. Fairfax saw positive rent growth in August for the first time since 2022. The September decline was smaller than in prior years and smaller than in pre-pandemic years when the market was considered well-balanced.

Zumper CEO Shawn Mullahy pointed to a divided national picture. "There really isn't one U.S. rental market right now," Mullahy said. "Markets still absorbing the building boom are competing aggressively for renters, while markets that avoided it are tightening quickly."

Elsewhere in the region, Alexandria's median rent fell 1.9% to $2,193. Arlington held nearly steady at $2,610, up 0.2%. Arlington ranked fifth among 100 large urban areas tracked by Apartment List, the priciest market outside California.

The D.C. metro median was $2,171, down 0.6%.

Among other Fairfax communities, Annandale saw the steepest drop at 5%. Fair Oaks fell 3.1%. Centreville declined 2.1%. Herndon held flat at $2,231.

Nationally, the median apartment rent was $1,388, down 0.4% year-over-year. The multifamily vacancy rate stood at 7%, still elevated but declining after peaking earlier in 2026.