Sell Your Commercial Property In Dallas–Fort Worth, TX

Who rents in Dallas–Fort Worth

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro had 7,985,590 residents in the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey, living in 2,891,725 occupied homes. Of those, 1,153,805 were renter-occupied, a 39.9% share. Metro median household income was $90,275.

That regional average hides wide differences between the cities on our Dallas–Fort Worth page. City-level ACS data shows Irving with the highest renter share of the six largest nearby cities at 61.9%, followed by Dallas at 57.6%. Arlington sits at 45.7%, Fort Worth at 43.0%, Grand Prairie at 41.3% and Garland at 38.4%. Irving also has the largest share of homes in 5+ unit buildings among the six, at 48.0%, slightly above Dallas at 46.9%. In Fort Worth, Arlington, Garland and Grand Prairie that share is roughly a quarter, so apartments there compete more directly with rented houses and townhomes.

The airport is a demand driver in its own right. A study by The Perryman Group released by DFW International Airport found that the airport contributed $78.3 billion to the North Texas economy in 2024, up from $46.4 billion in 2014, and supports about 684,000 direct and indirect jobs. Direct employment at the airport is more than 50,600 jobs, and a $12 billion capital program that includes the new Terminal F is under way. Airport, cargo and logistics jobs add renter demand in Irving, Grand Prairie and the mid-cities between Dallas and Fort Worth, close to the airfield.

Rents and affordability across the metro

Median gross rent for the metro was $1,614 in 2020–2024. The two largest cities are cheaper than the region as a whole, while the inner suburbs run higher:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates 2020–2024, via Census Reporter (cities) and Census Reporter (metro).

The pattern matters for pricing. Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington have the lowest medians of the six, which gives their apartment buildings a price advantage over suburban alternatives. Irving, Garland and Grand Prairie medians run $5 to $27 above the metro figure despite lower incomes than the metro, which helps explain their higher cost burdens.

By unit size, ACS table B25031 puts the metro median at $1,388 for a studio, $1,393 for a one-bedroom, $1,660 for a two-bedroom and $1,934 for a three-bedroom. Affordability is stretched in many of the suburbs: 57.0% of Grand Prairie renters, 56.8% of Arlington renters and 56.4% of Garland renters pay 30% or more of income on rent, compared with 43.3% in Irving. Across the metro the share is 50.1%, and 23.6% of renter households spend half or more of income on rent.

The apartment stock

The metro has 3,096,731 housing units, and 811,007 of them, or 26.2%, are in buildings of five or more units, according to ACS table B25024. The split is 166,765 units in 5–9 unit buildings, 201,423 in 10–19 unit buildings, 142,482 in 20–49 unit buildings and 300,337 in complexes of 50 or more. Table B25032 shows 59.9% of metro renter households living in 5+ unit buildings, while 23.5% rent detached single-family houses, a large competing pool of rental supply. Within the apartment stock, 264,546 renter households live in complexes of 50 or more units and 142,024 live in small 5–9 unit buildings, the segment where most individual owners operate.

The regional stock is younger than the core cities. The metro's median year built is 1993, 21.8% of units date from 2010 or later and 135,997 units were built in 2020 or later. Only 29.8% of metro housing predates 1980. Older apartment inventory is concentrated in the inner ring: Garland's median year built is 1978, and Dallas, Irving and Arlington all sit in the 1980s. That is where most 1970s–1990s value-add properties trade, and where buyers focus on deferred maintenance.

Property taxes across four counties

Texas has no state property tax. The Comptroller describes a system in which each county's appraisal district sets market value and local units levy rates, so a DFW apartment building's bill depends on its city, county and school district. Apartments are appraised at market value each year, with no reduced assessment ratio.

The Dallas County Tax Office lists these 2025 city rates per $100 for the Dallas County cities on our page: Irving $0.589100, Grand Prairie $0.660000 and Garland $0.689746, against $0.698800 for the City of Dallas. School district rates are larger: Irving ISD is $1.015900, Garland ISD $1.170900 and Dallas ISD $0.993835. Dallas County adds $0.215500, Parkland Hospital $0.212000 and Dallas College $0.106575. In Tarrant County, the City of Arlington reported its rate as $0.5998 per $100 in May 2025. A building in Garland and Garland ISD therefore carries a different bill than an identical one in Irving, so comparing assets across the metro requires parcel-level tax figures.

The one statewide limit is the Tax Code § 23.231 cap on appraised value increases for non-homestead real property below an indexed threshold, $5 million for 2024. It limits annual growth to 20% plus new improvements but only begins after an owner has held the property on January 1 of a prior year, and it ends at a change of ownership. Owners can protest values each year; per the Comptroller, the deadline is generally May 15 or 30 days after notice delivery, whichever is later.

Landlord rules and local compliance

No DFW city can adopt ordinary rent control. Local Government Code § 214.902 permits it only after a disaster-related housing emergency finding and with the governor's approval. Local compliance is handled through city registration and inspection programs, and the three largest cities each run one:

• Dallas: annual multi-tenant registration at $13 per dwelling unit since October 1, 2025, with inspections at least once every three years.
• Fort Worth: annual registration at a flat $13 per rental unit for complexes of three or more units, and out-of-state owners must name a local agent for legal service and an emergency contact.
• Arlington: an annual multi-family inspection fee of $22.36 per unit, plus a $150 reinspection fee.

State law sets the core tenancy rules: deposits must be refunded within 30 days of move-out under Property Code § 92.103, and § 24.005 requires at least three days' written notice to vacate before an eviction filing unless the lease provides otherwise. Withholding a deposit in bad faith exposes a landlord to $100, three times the amount wrongly withheld and the tenant's attorney's fees under § 92.109, so clean move-out records matter in due diligence.

What this means if you own a building here

DFW sellers benefit from a large renter base, but they compete with a sizable stock of newer buildings and with single-family rentals. The metro's 21.8% share of post-2010 housing means older buildings compete on price, not finishes, and rent burdens above 56% in Arlington, Garland and Grand Prairie limit how far renewal increases can go. Property taxes are high everywhere and vary by school district, so a buyer will rebuild your expense line from the parcel's actual rates at the purchase price.

Before going to market, gather your city registration and inspection records, three years of appraisal notices and protest outcomes, and a trailing-12 operating statement. Our apartment building value calculator and 1031 exchange calculator can help frame the numbers. Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings across Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties, including Arlington, Irving, Grand Prairie and Garland, and our seller page explains our process.