Knoxville renters finally caught a breather this winter. Median asking rents for apartment listings fell about 9 percent year-over-year in February, sliding from a February 2025 median of $1,754 to roughly $1,600. The pullback showed up across unit types, with one-bedroom listings averaging about $1,120 and two-bedroom listings sitting near $1,480. Knoxville still comes in cheaper than national medians, but the story on affordability depends a lot on what size place and which neighborhood you are looking at.
The Numbers Behind Knoxville's Rent Slide
As reported by Knox News, the February snapshot is built from Zumper's rental listings and reflects the asking prices that landlords were advertising at that point in time. The dataset leaves out currently occupied or removed listings and includes new construction, so it captures what was on the open market rather than the terms of leases that were actually signed. According to the analysis, the sample covered about 1,544 active rental listings in Knoxville, including 48 subsidized units.
How Knoxville Stacks Up Against The Rest
Per Zumper, national medians in that same February snapshot were higher, at roughly $1,519 for one-bedrooms and about $1,791 for two-bedrooms, which leaves Knoxville well below those nationwide figures. Compared with Tennessee as a whole, though, the picture is more mixed. Knoxville one-bedrooms were roughly 5 percent below the statewide one-bedroom median of about $1,175, while two-bedrooms in the city were about 12 percent above the statewide two-bedroom figure of roughly $1,325. Those gaps help explain why a single "typical" rent number can look very different depending on whether you slice it by unit size or focus on an overall median.
What Renters And Landlords Should Watch Next
The data point to modestly softer asking prices and a solid number of advertised units for apartment hunters, which could translate into a bit more negotiating room for tenants this spring. Renters may want to comparison-shop across listings and pay attention to whether asking rents include utilities or come with temporary perks and discounts. On the other side of the table, landlords and investors will be watching to see whether the spring leasing season tightens the market and props up prices again or keeps asking rents on the defensive.
