Newport News Rental Market Snapshot
City study states deep-seated affordability issues persist in City and across region
A Newport News Daily contributor used AI to produce this post from these sources:
Average Rental Price in Newport News, VA & Market Trends | Zillow Rental Manager
Comprehensive Housing Study | Newport News, VA - Official Website
How To Apply For Housing – Newport News Redevelopment & Housing Authority
Newport News, VA – Fresh data released on June 4, 2025, from Zillow's Rental Manager offers a detailed look at the local rental market, showing variations in average rent across different property types. This market snapshot provides a current view, but a recent comprehensive city Housing Study underscores persistent affordability challenges, largely driven by the mismatch between housing costs and relatively low household incomes in the area.
Zillow classifies the Newport News rental market temperature as "COOL," indicating that changes in renter demand are lower than the national average. When compared to the national average, rent in Newport News is 15% lower for houses, 24% lower for townhouses, and 9% lower for apartments. The combined average rent of $1,645 is 22% lower than the national average of $2,100.
As of the latest data, there are currently 250 rentals available in Newport News.
According to the latest rent figures from Zillow for Newport News, VA:
The average rent for houses stands at $2,000. This marks a month-over-month increase of $105 and a year-over-year increase of $50. Over the last year (2024), the average rent for houses in June was $1,950, increasing to $2,000 in June this year (2025). Rent for houses in Newport News ranges between $600 and $3,995.
For townhouses, the average rent is $1,725. This is a decrease of $70 from the previous month and a decrease of $50 from the previous year.
Apartments have an average rent of $1,386. This represents a month-over-month increase of $19 and a significant year-over-year increase of $259.
The average rent for all bedrooms and all property types combined in Newport News is $1,645. This average increased by $35 in the last month. Looking back a year, the average rent has increased by $145. The average rent for all types was $1,500 in June 2024, rising to $1,645 in June 2025.
Comprehensive Study Highlights Affordability Crisis
Complementing the recent market data, the Newport News Housing Study provides essential context on the city's housing challenges. The study, completed in November 2024 by Urban Partners, was commissioned to understand current and future housing conditions, identify challenges, and develop strategy recommendations.
The study found that nearly half of the occupied housing units in Newport News (49.4%) are rentals. A key finding is that housing affordability challenges in Newport News are more a result of low household incomes rather than abnormally high housing costs when compared to national median prices. Newport News's median household income was $63,355 in 2022, ranking ninth among comparison communities in the region, with only Norfolk ($60,998) and Portsmouth ($57,154) reporting lower median incomes. In contrast, communities like York County ($105,154) and James City County ($100,711) had significantly higher median incomes in 2022.
This income disparity contributes to a high rate of housing cost burden. The study uses 2020 data from the Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) published by HUD. According to this data, 35.1% of Newport News households were housing cost-burdened in 2020 (paying over 30% of income for housing), ranking fourth highest among comparison communities. For rental households specifically, 46.2% were cost-burdened, and 21.6% were extremely-burdened (paying over 50% of income). The study graphic highlights that in 2020, nearly two out of three households (62.7%) earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income in Newport News were cost-burdened.
The city also has a higher percentage of residents living below the poverty level (14.7%) in 2022 compared to the metro region (10.7%). The United Way's ALICE Project further indicates that a significant portion of employed households struggle to meet basic needs, with the majority of single-adult households living under the ALICE threshold.
Newport News's housing stock is also relatively old, with a median year built of 1979, matching the national median but ranking in the middle compared to regional peers. Two-thirds of the current housing stock was built before 1990, suggesting a need for significant replacement in the coming decades. The study estimates a need for over 20,400 new housing units by 2050 to accommodate projected growth and replace aging stock.
Public and Affordable Housing Landscape
Newport News has a considerable amount of income-restricted housing. As of 2024, there are 8,336 income-restricted rental units, representing 25% of all rental housing in the city. This is the highest number among the eight Virginia cities in the region and the second-highest percentage relative to total rental supply, after Portsmouth (29%). Households in these units are legally limited to paying no more than 30% of their income for housing.
The Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NNRHA) administers the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, although the waiting list for this program is currently closed. Eligibility for HCV is based on total gross income and family composition, and assistance is limited to U.S. citizens and specified categories of non-citizens with eligible immigration status. The NNRHA also owns and manages public housing communities and other affordable housing communities. The Housing Study notes that the NNRHA scheduled thousands of appointments for both Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing over a 4-day period in 2015, indicating demand.
The city has supported projects aimed at increasing affordable housing supply. For example, the Coil Phase 2 project at 311 33rd Street involves the issuance of multi-family housing revenue bonds by the NNRHA and will include 31 units with at least 40% reserved for individuals earning less than 60% of the area's median income.
Efforts to address housing instability and homelessness are also underway. The Community Assistance Network (CAN), foundational to efforts to reduce evictions, served 795 households in Newport News from July through December of a recent year, helping 1,670 people keep a roof over their heads. The city's Human Services Department has a Housing Broker Team focused on preventing homelessness for families with children. While a 2014 Point-in-Time count identified 181 homeless individuals, the Comprehensive Plan notes this likely undercounted those in hotels or non-traditional shelters and that Newport News did not have a city-sponsored shelter at that time.
The Housing Study recommends exploring a Municipal Land Bank and a Housing Trust Fund to support housing objectives. The potential for incorporating Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) is also being considered by City Council as a way to increase housing options and affordability, though state legislation on this matter was continued to 2025.
While the latest Zillow data provides a real-time look at rental rate fluctuations, the broader context from the Housing Study highlights that addressing the rental market's challenges requires tackling underlying income disparities and increasing the supply of diverse housing options across all income levels, including through continued support for public and affordable housing initiatives.