Industrial vacancy rates are rising, but average rents in Texas and the Midwest are climbing, too

The industrial vacancy rate across the country jumped to 5.2% at the end of March, according to the latest research from CommercialEdge. But in good news for Detroit, this Midwest city saw a 4% increase in its average industrial rent during the first quarter of 2024.

Those were two key trends highlighted in CommercialEdge’s April National Industrial Report.

Other important findings? Industrial rents continued to rise not only in Detroit but across the country, with March in-place rents growing 7.3% on a year-over-year basis to $7.85 a square foot. The average rate for new industrial leases signed in the last 12 months was $10.43 a square foot, $2.58 more than the average for all commercial property types during this same period.

How did Midwest and Texas markets fare when it comes to rent growth? Detroit saw a 4% increase in its average industrial rent, sending it to $6.79 a square foot as of the end of the year’s first quarter.

CommercialEdge reported that in Nashville, the average industrial rent increased 7.5% on a year-over-year basis to $5.90 a square foot, while in Dallas, it jumped 6.7% to an average of $5.91.