Apartment-rent inflation in Denver last month lagged behind state increases and matched the national average, with some pockets of the city experiencing declines, according to a .
Denver recorded a 2.5 percent increase in March on median rent for a two-bedroom apartment over the same month a year earlier, and a sluggish 0.1 percent increase from February.
Median rents statewide increased 4.1 percent, while the national median two-bedroom apartment rents rose at a 2.7 percent clip, according to Apartment List, which has data on millions of apartments for rent.
A one-bedroom apartment in Denver had a median rent of $1,350, and a two-bedroom went for $1,770.That made Denver the second most expensive city Apartment List tracks in the state after Boulder.
Boulder showed a 4 percent jump in apartment rents, with one-bedrooms at a median of $1,490 a month and two-bedrooms going for $1,920.
Arvada and Thornton were the hottest metro suburban markets in March, with annual median rent increases of 8.9 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.
Median rents for a two-bedroom were $1,390 in Arvada and $1,400 in Thornton.
The softest suburban apartment markets were Parker, which was flat, and Englewood, down 1.7 percent.
In early 2015, Denver area apartment rent increases . Now, increases are about matching the U.S. average, which should bring some relief to tenants.
But even within Denver, wide variations exist. Capitol Hill remained a pocket of strength with a 10 percent increase in March, followed by Highland, up 7.9 percent.
Lower Downtown, where a lot of new, high-end supply is hitting the market, rents dropped 5.7 percent from a year earlier. Virginia Village and Uptown were other Denver neighborhoods with declining apartment rents.
Aldo Svaldi: 303-954-1410, asvaldi@denverpost.com or @aldosvaldi
