The U.S. multifamily market continued to show signs of slowing at the end of 2023, although demand remained robust, with high home prices leading younger generations of higher-income households to choose renting over homeownership.

Small multifamily starts the year from a position of strength with normalizing expense ratios and healthy occupancy rates. After demonstrating resiliency amid headwinds, this subsector is ready to capitalize on any positive momentum in the financial markets. Arbor’s Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q1 2024, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, examines and explains the key developments every investor needs to know.

In the previous two years, Sun Belt markets dominated the top rent growth lists, as pandemic-related re-shuffling settled. In 2023, the list of top markets became much more diverse.

The most recent America’s Rental Housing 2024 report published by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) takes a detailed look at the state of the rental housing industry.

As borrowing costs rose and rent growth slowed, multifamily developers pulled back the reins in 2023. Nationally, the number of multifamily building permits sank 20.3% last year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. However, there are many metropolitan markets where activity has not slowed. In this deep dive, our research teams show which metros led the nation in multifamily permitting activity in 2023.

Now as old as 26, Generation Z is on the cusp of reshaping the rental market as they leave the nest in increasing numbers. In fact, it is the only generation adding rental households, while the amount of millennial renters has already peaked. Gen Z, the first digital natives, is poised to become the most influential demographic in the multifamily rental market.