Seattle is the No. 13 metro area in the country for new apartment construction in 2025, according to data from RentCafe.

The metro will add 11,196 units by the end of the year — and construction is only set to increase in 2026 as zoning changes related to House Bill 1110 create more opportunities for development.

Most of the Emerald City’s new apartments — nearly 4,000 — are located in Seattle proper, followed by Tacoma at 1,737 units and Redmond at 1,103.

via RentCafe

However, over half of all new U.S. apartments in 2025 — which equates to over 265,000 units — are located in the south.

“Southern metros typically offer streamlined approval processes and fewer regulatory hurdles, making it easier to bring multifamily projects to market,” explained Doug Ressler, senior analyst and manager of business intelligence for Yardi Matrix. “At the same time, elevated home prices and a shortage of attainable for-sale housing are pushing more residents toward rentals. For many households, single-family ownership is simply out of reach — fueling demand for rental housing.”