Median Rent Around Reston Metro Station Up From 2020

RESTON, VA — Rent prices tend to be higher near transit due to the convenience factor for commuters heading to work and other destinations. But the COVID-19 pandemic changed that as the DC Metro saw ridership drop with stay-at-home orders a shift toward remote working. Even as things reopen, rail system continues to struggle with bringing back riders as commuters have changed their habits.

These trends are evident in RentHop's latest report on median one-bedroom rent near DC Metro stations. RentHop releases the report annually, showing the year-to-year changes in median rent. The study found rent decreased in the area of 55 of 91 Metro stops.

RentHop data scientist Shane Lee looked at rental prices between March 1, 2021 to May 31, 2021 at apartments within half a mile of a Metro station. Data is based on non-duplicated listings and WMATA GIS data for Metrorail stops from OpenData DC. If there were 20 unique data points, RentHop calculated the median. If there weren't 20 unique data points, the radius from the stop was increased to ensure there were enough unique listings when calculating the median.

According to the study, median rent increased near 32 Metro stops and did not change near four stops.

The Metro stations with the largest median rent increases were: West Hyattsville (up 5.58 percent, median rent $1,372.50), Georgia Avenue/Petworth (up 4.41 percent, median rent $1,727), Naylor Road (up 4.35 percent, median rent $1,200), Braddock Road (up 4.29 percent, median rent $1,825), and Branch Avenue (up 3.82 percent, median rent $1,765).

Stations with the largest median rent drops were: Navy Yard/Ballpark (down 13.79 percent, median rent $1,875), Archives/Navy Memorial (down 13 percent, median rent ($2,175), Rosslyn (down 12.97 percent, median rent $1,950), Farragut North (down 12.74 percent, median rent $2,042), and Judiciary Square (down 12.36 percent, median rent $2,190).

In Reston, the Wiehle-Reston East station, the last stop on the Silver Line in Northern Virginia, had a 1.5 percent increase since 2020, bringing the median rent to $1,650. In 2020, the median rent near the Wiehle-Reston East station was $1,638, a 4.o percent increase from 2019.

Most of the other Silver-only trains in Virginia saw a decrease in median rent prices, including $1,850 (-2.6 percent) near the Spring Hill Metro, $1,695 (-0.3 percent) near the Greensboro Metro, and $1,550 (-3.1 percent) near the McLean. Properties near the Tysons Corner staton saw a 2.4 percent increase in median rent prices over 2020, with the median rent being $1,690.

See RentHop's full interactive map of median one-bedroom rent by Metro station.

Patch editor Emily Leayman contributed to the reporting of this story.