Charlotte's apartments are shrinking
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
The average new apartment shrank in Charlotte during the past decade, according to a new survey from RentCafe.
Why it matters: Even though square footage shrank, renters of all apartments in Charlotte are paying more — even accounting for a 39% increase in inflation.
The big picture: Charlotte is bucking the national trend. The typical new apartment in the 100 cities RentCafe analyzed grew by 13 square feet, or a little over 1%, between 2016 and 2025.
- Floor plans grew the most in the South, where Tallahassee, Florida, has the nation's highest average: 1,156 square feet.
- Seattle is the smallest, with a 645 average.
Zoom in: Charlotte's new apartments slimmed down 40 square feet to 925, while Zillow finds the average apartment rents for $1,756 per month. That's $665 more — up 16% adjusted for inflation — than 10 years ago.
Context: The nation's average apartment sizes have been on the upswing since 2022.