The PulseReal Pulse Index: October 2026
Where US rentals still pencil out. Every city with recent sales and rent data is scored as one median-priced home, bought with 25% down at a 7.25% investor rate, after local property tax and insurance adjusted for local hazard risk. 2,349 long-term and 4,488 short-term rental markets this month.
0.3%
Markets where a median rental cash flows
0.1%
Markets clearing a 1.25 DSCR
-20.4%
Median cash-on-cash, long-term rental
3.5%
Median gross rent yield
1.7%
Median home price change, 12 months
35.3%
Median short-term rental occupancy
$174
Median short-term rental nightly rate
Top 10 cash flow markets after insurance
| # | Market | Cash-on-cash | Cash flow | Insurance | Average rent | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flint, MI | 8.7% | $117/mo | $717 | $730/mo | $57,500 |
| 2 | Greenville, MS | 7.4% | $102/mo | $1,056 | $720/mo | $59,000 |
| 3 | Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO | 4.7% | $98/mo | $1,167 | $991/mo | $90,000 |
| 4 | Memphis, TN | 3.5% | $78/mo | $848 | $915/mo | $94,250 |
| 5 | East Liverpool, OH | 3.4% | $50/mo | $409 | $651/mo | $62,000 |
| 6 | Jennings, MO | 3.1% | $55/mo | $986 | $799/mo | $76,000 |
| 7 | Inkster, MI | -0.7% | -$14/mo | $1,207 | $915/mo | $93,750 |
| 8 | Fort Madison, IA | -0.9% | -$16/mo | $707 | $745/mo | $78,500 |
| 9 | Coconut Creek, FL | -2.5% | -$107/mo | $3,489 | $1,700/mo | $182,500 |
| 10 | Warrensville Heights, OH | -3.3% | -$77/mo | $660 | $836/mo | $100,000 |
Top 10 DSCR-friendly markets
| # | Market | DSCR | Average rent | Median price | Cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flint, MI | 1.40 | $730/mo | $57,500 | $117/mo |
| 2 | Greenville, MS | 1.34 | $720/mo | $59,000 | $102/mo |
| 3 | Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO | 1.21 | $991/mo | $90,000 | $98/mo |
| 4 | East Liverpool, OH | 1.16 | $651/mo | $62,000 | $50/mo |
| 5 | Memphis, TN | 1.16 | $915/mo | $94,250 | $78/mo |
| 6 | Jennings, MO | 1.14 | $799/mo | $76,000 | $55/mo |
| 7 | Inkster, MI | 0.97 | $915/mo | $93,750 | -$14/mo |
| 8 | Fort Madison, IA | 0.96 | $745/mo | $78,500 | -$16/mo |
| 9 | Coconut Creek, FL | 0.88 | $1,700/mo | $182,500 | -$107/mo |
| 10 | Warrensville Heights, OH | 0.85 | $836/mo | $100,000 | -$77/mo |
Method
- Each city is scored as one median-priced home, rented at that city's average rent, bought with 25% down at PulseReal's standard investor rate, after local property tax and insurance adjusted for local hazard risk.
- Cash-on-cash is a year of cash left after expenses and the mortgage, divided by the cash put in.
- Gross yield is a year of rent divided by the median sale price.
- The debt service coverage ratio is a year of net operating income divided by the year's mortgage payments, and a market clears the test used here at 1.25 or higher.
- The 12-month price change is the median of each city's change in its median sale price.
- Occupancy is the share of available nights that were booked, and the nightly rate is the average price guests paid per night.
- Each median counts every city once, so a small city counts the same as a large one.
- A short-term rental market is called legal-friendly when its local-rules score is at least as high as the typical city in the same list.
- Forecast error is the average gap between PulseReal's 3-month home-price forecasts and the sale prices that followed.
- A city is left out of the long-term figures when its sale price and rent cannot be matched, and a return outside −50% to 100% is left off the page.
Data sources and dates
- Median sale prices come from the Redfin Data Center and are refreshed twice a month. This edition is October 2026.
- Short-term rental revenue, occupancy, and nightly rates come from Rabbu short-term rental market data, refreshed monthly. This edition is October 2026.
- Long-term rents come from Redfin rental listings and US Census rent data, refreshed monthly. This edition is October 2026.
Full formulas and sources: methodology and forecast accuracy. Rankings for every state: PulseReal rankings.
Cite this report
PulseReal Pulse Index, October 2026. https://pulsereal.com/research/pulse-index/2026-10/
Free to quote and republish with a link (CC BY 4.0). Journalists can request state-level cuts at [email protected].
