D.C. apartment rents heading into October remain among priciest in U.S.

First the good news: The median rent on both one- and two-bedroom apartments in Washington, D.C., declined year over year in September, according to a new analysis from real estate listings site Zumper.

The analysis tracks vacant and available apartments, so it’s a pretty good indicator of where the market is at.

The median one-bedroom rent was down 4.4 percent yearly to $2,160 a month; and the median two-bedroom rent was down a whopping 14.8 percent to $2,710.

Now the bad news: Washington remains one of the most expensive rental markets in the U.S., and rents appear to have barely changed from August. In fact, according to Zumper, the median one-bedroom rent didn’t budge at all. See below for how the district stacks up against other major cities.

This data underscores just how expensive renting in the area has become for many. A recent analysis from Apartment List noted that as many as 1 in 5 tenant households in D.C. was severely rent-burdened—that is, spending at least 50 percent of household income on leasing costs. What’re you seeing?

• Rent-burdened in D.C.: About half city’s tenant households confront crushing costs [Curbed Boston]