In spite of the recent apartment building boom (11,974 apartments are currently under construction, with another 13,938 planned), rents have actually increased over the past year. Even though our supply has increased, our demand has actually increased more.
Over the past year, the vacancy rate in Charlotte has decreased from 6.2% down to 6.1%.
Rents have increased by about 7% over the past year, from an average of $1,011 last August to $1,082 this August. Our city’s most expensive area is Uptown, with an average rent of $1,729, and our cheapest is just North East of Uptown, with an average rent of $715, according to Real Data.
Worst of all, the data shows that wages have remained flat over the past year, meaning it’s now costing more to make the same amount.
According to Real Data, Charlotte now has the 4th highest rental rates in the South East.
Here are all the numbers for the major cities in the South East.
| City | Vacancy | Avg Rent | Market Rank | ||
| Asheville(12/2016) | 4.9% | $1,067 | 102 (1) |  |
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| Charleston(9/2016) | 5.6% | $1,113 | 93 (10) | |
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| Charlotte(9/2016) | 5.9% | $1,052 | 97(4) | |
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| Columbia(11/2016) | 9.0% | $953 | 93 (9) | |
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| Greensboro/WS (10/2016) | 5.6% | $796 | 91 (14) | |
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| Greenville/SPG (12/2016) | 7.9% | $905 | 92(12) | |
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| Jacksonville(1/2017) | 5.1% | $954 | 96(5) | |
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| Nashville (2/2017) | 7.6% | $1,135 | 93(10) | |
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| Norfolk-Va.Beach (11/2016) | 5.7% | $1,010 | 91(13) | |
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| Orlando (9/2016) | 3.6% | $1,143 | 101(2) | |
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| Raleigh/ Durham (2/2017) |
6.1% | $1,055 | 98(3) | |
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| Richmond (1/2017) | 6.5% | $987 | 89 (15) | |
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| Savannah (8/2016) | 5.0% | $971 | 96 (6) | |
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| Tampa Bay (11/2016) | 4.7% | $1,097 | 96(7) | |
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| Wilmington(6/2016) | 4.6% | $954 | 95 (8) | |
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Charlotte’s South End neighborhood also now contains the fastest growing zip code in the country:
How do you feel about the apartment boom here in Charlotte?
What do you think we could do to increase wages and make living here more affordable?