Among US metro areas with at least 1,000 homes for sale, Shreveport, Louisiana has the highest gross rent yield: a typical rent of $1,330 a month on a typical home value of $186,446, or 8.56% a year, in DataPorium's market data for August 2026 [1]. Jackson, Mississippi (8.43%) and Brownsville, Texas (8.38%) follow [1]. Among counties with 100,000 or more people, Hinds County, Mississippi leads at 11.89% [1][2]. At the other end, San Jose, California has a yield of 3.00%, and San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle are all below 3.8% [1].
What is gross rent yield?
Gross rent yield is a year of rent divided by the price of the home: typical monthly rent times 12, divided by the typical home value, in percent. A $200,000 home that rents for $1,500 a month has a gross yield of 9.0% ($18,000 / $200,000). The measure is "gross" because it is before every cost of owning a rental: property tax, insurance, repairs, vacancy, management and mortgage interest. Net yields are always lower, and those costs differ a lot from place to place [1].
The inverse of the yield is the price-to-rent ratio: how many years of rent it takes to equal the home's value. An 8.56% yield equals 11.7 years of rent; a 3.00% yield equals 33.4 years [1]. Across the 733 metro areas with both a home value and a rent in the data, the median gross yield is 5.92%; one in ten is below 4.27% and one in ten above 7.99% [1].
Which metros have the highest rent yield in 2026?
The table ranks metro areas by gross rent yield. DataPorium's metro data have no population figure, so market size is screened by the number of homes for sale: only the 208 metros with 1,000 or more homes listed are included. Without that screen, small markets lead the list; Sweetwater, Texas shows 14.38% [1].
| Rank | Metro area | Gross rent yield | Typical home value | Typical monthly rent | Price-to-rent (years) | Home value, 1-year change | Rent, 1-year change | Homes for sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shreveport, Louisiana | 8.56% | $186,446 | $1,330 | 11.7 | +3.4% | +5.7% | 1,745 |
| 2 | Jackson, Mississippi | 8.43% | $214,315 | $1,506 | 11.9 | +2.9% | +3.8% | 2,333 |
| 3 | Brownsville, Texas | 8.38% | $209,484 | $1,463 | 11.9 | +1.3% | +3.7% | 1,681 |
| 4 | Lafayette, Louisiana | 8.19% | $202,529 | $1,382 | 12.2 | +2.8% | +1.1% | 1,835 |
| 5 | Beaumont, Texas | 8.17% | $188,313 | $1,283 | 12.2 | +3.5% | +2.5% | 1,604 |
| 6 | Peoria, Illinois | 8.08% | $174,841 | $1,178 | 12.4 | +6.7% | +5.4% | 1,133 |
| 7 | Mobile, Alabama | 7.96% | $197,078 | $1,308 | 12.6 | +0.4% | +3.3% | 1,762 |
| 8 | Montgomery, Alabama | 7.85% | $214,806 | $1,405 | 12.7 | +3.8% | +3.1% | 1,748 |
| 9 | El Paso, Texas | 7.82% | $234,069 | $1,525 | 12.8 | +2.2% | +3.2% | 3,359 |
| 10 | Huntington, West Virginia | 7.73% | $166,303 | $1,071 | 12.9 | +1.4% | +5.4% | 1,028 |
| 11 | Gulfport, Mississippi | 7.71% | $224,579 | $1,443 | 13.0 | +1.8% | +1.2% | 2,530 |
| 12 | Corpus Christi, Texas | 7.70% | $223,508 | $1,434 | 13.0 | +0.4% | +2.9% | 3,322 |
| 13 | Homosassa Springs, Florida | 7.61% | $271,613 | $1,723 | 13.1 | -1.1% | +1.5% | 1,638 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 7.59% | $232,122 | $1,469 | 13.2 | +0.2% | +3.4% | 8,193 |
| 15 | Punta Gorda, Florida | 7.56% | $297,279 | $1,872 | 13.2 | -4.9% | 0.0% | 3,089 |
| 16 | East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania | 7.56% | $312,772 | $1,971 | 13.2 | +1.7% | +4.9% | 1,410 |
| 17 | Lubbock, Texas | 7.54% | $213,398 | $1,340 | 13.3 | +2.4% | +1.5% | 1,844 |
| 18 | Columbus, Georgia | 7.54% | $210,990 | $1,327 | 13.3 | +3.8% | +4.6% | 1,196 |
| 19 | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | 7.52% | $241,271 | $1,511 | 13.3 | +0.4% | +3.4% | 1,080 |
| 20 | Macon, Georgia | 7.50% | $200,076 | $1,250 | 13.3 | +3.2% | +3.1% | 1,159 |
Source: DataPorium Housing Market, metro home values, rents and homes for sale, data date August 31, 2026 [1]. Price-to-rent computed by DataPorium as home value divided by 12 months of rent.
What stands out
Every metro in the top 20 has a typical home value under $315,000, and 17 of the 20 are under $250,000 [1]. Rent is high relative to price in these places: Shreveport's typical rent of $1,330 is 0.71% of the home value each month, against 0.25% in San Jose [1]. The high yields come with modest price growth: no top-20 metro had a one-year home value gain above 6.7% (Peoria), and two Florida metros, Homosassa Springs and Punta Gorda, had price declines [1].
Texas has five metros in the top 20, Alabama three, and Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Florida two each [1].
Which large metros have the highest and lowest yields?
Raising the screen to 8,000 or more homes for sale leaves 35 of the largest housing markets. The table shows the eight highest and the eight lowest yields among them [1].
| Metro area | Gross rent yield | Typical home value | Typical monthly rent | Price-to-rent (years) | Home value, 1-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 7.59% | $232,122 | $1,469 | 13.2 | +0.2% |
| Chicago, Illinois | 7.42% | $357,265 | $2,210 | 13.5 | +4.9% |
| Detroit, Michigan | 6.84% | $267,167 | $1,524 | 14.6 | +2.1% |
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 6.79% | $245,317 | $1,388 | 14.7 | +1.1% |
| Miami, Florida | 6.72% | $475,830 | $2,666 | 14.9 | -0.5% |
| Tampa, Florida | 6.70% | $358,706 | $2,001 | 14.9 | -1.5% |
| Cape Coral, Florida | 6.63% | $335,410 | $1,853 | 15.1 | -4.4% |
| Houston, Texas | 6.46% | $305,002 | $1,643 | 15.5 | -1.9% |
| Phoenix, Arizona | 4.67% | $442,078 | $1,722 | 21.4 | -1.2% |
| Austin, Texas | 4.66% | $417,977 | $1,622 | 21.5 | -4.7% |
| Denver, Colorado | 4.12% | $559,705 | $1,922 | 24.3 | -1.9% |
| Portland, Oregon | 4.02% | $542,843 | $1,818 | 24.9 | -0.4% |
| San Diego, California | 3.86% | $930,785 | $2,994 | 25.9 | +0.5% |
| Seattle, Washington | 3.76% | $727,359 | $2,278 | 26.6 | -1.5% |
| Los Angeles, California | 3.70% | $952,601 | $2,941 | 27.0 | +1.2% |
| San Francisco, California | 3.64% | $1,123,193 | $3,409 | 27.5 | +2.3% |
Source: DataPorium Housing Market, 35 metros with 8,000+ homes for sale, data date August 31, 2026 [1]. The first eight rows are the highest yields; the last eight are the lowest.
Chicago stands out: a large market with 24,419 homes for sale, it yields 7.42%, and its home values rose 4.9% in a year, the biggest gain among the eight highest-yield large metros [1]. New York, the largest market by listings (49,356), sits near the middle at 5.90% [1]. San Jose, California, with 3,036 homes for sale, has the lowest yield of all 208 metros in the first screen, 3.00%, on a typical home value of $1,527,731 [1].
Which counties have the highest rent yields?
County data include population, so the county ranking uses a direct size rule: 604 counties with 100,000 or more residents have a yield in the data [1].
| Rank | County | Population | Gross rent yield | Typical home value | Typical monthly rent | Home value, 1-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hinds County, Mississippi | 218,533 | 11.89% | $132,848 | $1,316 | +2.1% |
| 2 | Taylor County, Texas | 145,863 | 10.54% | $229,535 | $2,016 | +9.2% |
| 3 | Robeson County, North Carolina | 116,902 | 10.17% | $137,785 | $1,168 | +1.5% |
| 4 | Macon County, Illinois | 101,849 | 10.15% | $126,823 | $1,072 | +5.4% |
| 5 | Montgomery County, Alabama | 226,718 | 9.82% | $166,373 | $1,362 | +2.1% |
| 6 | Cambria County, Pennsylvania | 131,538 | 9.70% | $112,456 | $909 | +2.4% |
| 7 | Wayne County, North Carolina | 118,652 | 9.68% | $183,780 | $1,483 | +0.2% |
| 8 | Kanawha County, West Virginia | 176,537 | 9.67% | $154,872 | $1,248 | +2.0% |
| 9 | Wayne County, Michigan | 1,772,259 | 9.62% | $178,627 | $1,431 | +1.2% |
| 10 | Broome County, New York | 197,378 | 9.51% | $202,695 | $1,607 | +6.8% |
| 11 | Wichita County, Texas | 129,996 | 9.39% | $172,034 | $1,346 | +2.1% |
| 12 | Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania | 1,579,706 | 9.08% | $233,681 | $1,768 | +0.1% |
| 13 | Caddo Parish, Louisiana | 230,004 | 8.95% | $154,233 | $1,151 | +4.5% |
| 14 | Florence County, South Carolina | 137,117 | 8.86% | $205,086 | $1,514 | +4.1% |
| 15 | Peoria County, Illinois | 179,645 | 8.80% | $167,339 | $1,227 | +6.2% |
Source: DataPorium Housing Market, counties with 100,000+ residents, data date August 31, 2026 [1].
Two of the largest counties in the country make the top 15. Wayne County, Michigan, home to Detroit, has 1.77 million residents and a 9.62% yield, well above the 6.84% of the Detroit metro area as a whole [1][3]. Wayne County's typical home value, $178,627, is far below the Detroit metro's $267,167, while its typical rent is closer ($1,431 against $1,524) [1]. Philadelphia County yields 9.08%, on a typical home value of $233,681 [1].
One caution: Taylor County, Texas shows a typical rent up 33.6% in one year, to $2,016, far above any other county in the top 15. A change that large is unusual and may be a data effect, so its 10.54% yield should be read with care [1].
Hinds County, Mississippi, which contains the city of Jackson, has the top county yield at 11.89%, with 1,267 homes for sale and 219 rentals listed at the end of August 2026 [2].
How we ranked the markets
- Measure: gross rent yield = typical monthly rent x 12 / typical home value, from DataPorium's housing market data (data date August 31, 2026; screen built October 12, 2026) [1].
- Metros: metro areas with 1,000 or more homes for sale (208 metros) for the main ranking, and 8,000 or more (35 metros) for the large-market comparison, because metro population is not in the data [1].
- Counties: counties with a population of 100,000 or more (604 with a yield) [1].
- What it leaves out: taxes, insurance, upkeep, vacancy and financing. A high gross yield is not a forecast of profit, and this ranking is not investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gross rent yield?
There is no single standard, but the data give a benchmark: the median metro yield is 5.92%, and only one metro in ten is above 7.99% (August 2026) [1]. Net yield after costs is always lower.
How do you calculate gross rent yield?
Multiply the monthly rent by 12 and divide by the home value. A home worth $186,446 renting for $1,330 a month yields 8.56% [1].
Which big city has the highest rental yield?
Among the 35 largest metro markets by homes for sale, Pittsburgh at 7.59%, then Chicago at 7.42% and Detroit at 6.84% (August 2026) [1].
Where is rental yield lowest?
In high-priced West Coast metros: San Jose at 3.00%, San Francisco at 3.64%, Los Angeles at 3.70% and Seattle at 3.76% [1].
