According to ATTOM’s newly released Q1 2025 Single-Family Rental Market Report, the projected annual gross rental yield for three-bedroom properties across 361 analyzed counties will be 7.45% in 2025. This represents a slight decrease from the 2024 average of 7.52% in the same markets. Rental yields are expected to decline in nearly 60% of these counties from 2024 to 2025, following a period of growth in a small majority of counties between 2023 and 2024.
WATCH: ATTOM #figuresfriday- Top 10 COUNTIES for Buying Single-Family Rentals in 2025
According to the report, landlords are seeing declining investment returns as home prices outpace rent growth in slightly more than half of the country. Between 2024 and 2025, median single-family home prices increased faster than median rents for three-bedroom properties in 54% of the analyzed markets. These price-rent gaps—often exceeding three percentage points—have contributed to a decline in rental yields.
ATTOM’s latest single-family rental market analysis reported that that over the past year, median single-family home prices have risen in approximately two-thirds of the counties with sufficient data, typically increasing by around 10%. Meanwhile, typical three-bedroom rents have grown in just over half of those areas, with most increases capping at about 7%.
The Q1 single-family rental report noted that over the past year, the counties projected to have the lowest potential annual gross rental returns on three-bedroom properties in 2025 include Santa Clara County, CA, in the San Jose metro area (2.9%); San Mateo County, CA, in the San Francisco area (3.3%); Williamson County, TN, in the Nashville area (3.4%); Walton County, FL, in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach area (3.7%); and Alameda County, CA, in the San Francisco area (3.8%).
The report highlights 28 “SFR Growth” counties where average wages increased over the past year, and projected annual gross rental yields for three-bedroom properties in 2025 exceed 10%. These markets include Wayne County (Detroit), MI; Suffolk County, NY (outside New York City); Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), OH; Shelby County (Memphis), TN; and Hidalgo County (McAllen), TX.
In this post, we take a more granular look at the data behind ATTOM’s Q1 2025 Single-Family Rentals report to uncover the top 10 best single-family rental growth counties.
#1 – Suffolk, NY
- 7% year over year wage growth
- 18% 2025 Annual Gross Rental Yield
#2 – Atlantic, NJ
- 2% year over year wage growth
- 8% 2025 Annual Gross Rental Yield
#3 – Jefferson, AL
- 9% year over year wage growth
- 6% 2025 Annual Gross Rental Yield
#4 – Mobile, AL
- 5% year over year wage growth
- 9% 2025 Annual Gross Rental Yield
#5 – Ector, TX
- 5% year over year wage growth
- 5% 2025 Annual Gross Rental Yield
#6 – Indian River, FL
- 2% year over year wage growth
- 2% 2025 Annual Gross Rental Yield
#7 – St. Louis City, MO
- 7% year over year wage growth
- 12% 2025 Annual Gross Rental Yield
#8 – Litchfield, CT
- 7% 2025 Annual Gross Rental Yield
#9 – Charlotte, FL
- 4% year over year wage growth
- 6% 2025 Annual Gross Rental Yield
#10 – Saint Clair, IL
- 8% year over year wage growth
- 6% 2025 Annual Gross Rental Yield
Want to learn more about how single-family rental activity is faring in your market? Contact us to find out how!
Written by: Megan Hunt