Herndon, Fairfax City post region's largest June rent drops

Fairfax County, Va. — July 21, 2026

Herndon and Fairfax City posted the largest year-over-year declines in one-bedroom apartment rents anywhere in the D.C. region in June, according to FFXnow's report on Zumper's latest monthly metro data.

Herndon's median one-bedroom rent fell 4.8% year over year to $2,000. Fairfax City's fell 3.8% to $2,010, a decline of about $76 a month. Only Laurel, Maryland, came close, down 3%.

A regional pattern, not two isolated markets

The two declines topped the list, but they weren't outliers. Of eight D.C.-area localities in the Zumper data, five posted year-over-year declines. Only Arlington (up 0.8%), Manassas (up 3.4%) and Hagerstown (up 2%) saw rents rise.

Zumper's internal listings showed an 18% increase in available apartments across the region from June 2025 to June 2026. Crystal Chen, a Zumper analyst, said the pattern points to broader softening rather than conditions specific to Herndon or Fairfax City.

"What's more telling is the overall trend, as this cooling isn't isolated to Herndon and Fairfax," Chen said.

She attributed part of the increase in listings to federal employment uncertainty reducing housing demand, saying some D.C.-area workers have likely relocated for affordability or new jobs, freeing up units that would otherwise have stayed occupied.

Where Fairfax-area rents stand regionally

Arlington had the highest median one-bedroom rent in the data, at $2,450, followed by Alexandria at $2,310 and D.C. at $2,300. Hagerstown had the lowest, at $1,030. The median one-bedroom rent across the full metro area was $2,025.

The softening in Northern Virginia comes as the national one-bedroom rent picture moved the other direction: Zumper's national index showed the median one-bedroom rent up 0.4% year over year in June, its first annual increase since May 2025.