TerraVue

TerraVue / Markets / Fort Worth, TX

Should you buy or rent in Fort Worth, TX?

Over the past 20 years, Fort Worth home prices have risen 5.07% a year; over the past three, 1.88%. TerraVue's forward estimate, which weights both, is 3.79%. That is essentially in line with the national average.

Past 20 years5.07%actual, per year
Past 3 years1.88%actual, per year
Forward est.3.79%-0.23pp vs national
Median rent$1,689across 29 ZIPs
5 year 8.04% 10 year 8.11% 20 year 5.07% Forward est. 3.79% NATIONAL 4.0%
Annualized appreciation over each look-back window, from FHFA repeat-sales data. “Forward est.” is the blended estimate TerraVue simulates with (60% long-run, 40% recent 3-year).

What this means for a buyer

Appreciation is only one side of the buy-vs-rent question, but it's the side people guess at most badly. At the forward estimate of 3.79% a year, a home in Fort Worth would gain roughly 45% in value over a decade — before any of the costs that actually decide the question: closing costs, maintenance, property tax, the mortgage interest you'd pay, and what your down payment would have earned invested instead.

Worth being explicit about what that estimate is: it blends the 20-year record (5.07%) with the last three years (1.88%), so a market in a sharp recent run-up or correction lands between the two rather than at either extreme. It is an estimate, not a forecast anyone can guarantee — which is exactly why TerraVue simulates a range of outcomes instead of quoting one number.

Rent is the other side. At a median of $1,689, the yearly rent bill in Fort Worth is about $20,268. Whether buying beats that depends almost entirely on the price you'd pay and how long you'd stay — which is what the simulator is for.

Run it on an actual property

This page describes the Fort Worth market as a whole. Whether buying beats renting depends on the price you'd pay, your down payment, and how long you'd stay — TerraVue simulates about 1,000 market scenarios on those inputs and returns the probability, not a single guessed number. It'll start with 76179's real appreciation and rent already loaded.

Analyze a property free →

Appreciation by ZIP code in Fort Worth

Averages hide a lot. Across Fort Worth's 29 ZIP codes, long-run appreciation ranges from 1.93% to 7.10% a year — a spread of 5.2 percentage points. Over a 10-year hold, that difference compounds into a substantially different outcome for two buyers in the same city.

ZIPAppreciation/yrRecent 3yrRentBachelor's+
76119 7.10% 8.56% $1,318 8%
76106 6.35% 5.98% $1,321 7%
76109 6.26% 7.17% $1,755 72%
76114 5.12% 2.98% $1,571 15%
76107 4.59% 3.57% $1,667 55%
76116 4.44% 3.52% $1,405 32%
76134 4.38% 2.72% $1,822 20%
76104 4.31% 2.33% $1,468 20%
76110 4.17% 2.27% $1,718 28%
76140 3.98% 2.25% $1,786 16%
76112 3.96% 2.42% $1,199 21%
76036 3.84% 2.16% $2,117 29%
76103 3.84% 1.48% $1,414 20%
76126 3.77% 2.13% $1,991 47%
76111 3.68% 1.23% $1,472 14%
76008 3.67% 2.62% $1,870 59%
76108 3.62% 1.39% $1,781 26%
76118 3.58% 1.21% $1,847 29%
76135 3.51% 1.47% $1,623 23%
76052 3.35% 1.50% $2,225 47%
76131 3.17% 0.63% $1,893 38%
76179 3.11% 0.90% $2,057 31%
76132 3.11% 1.67% $1,206 49%
76120 3.03% 0.78% $1,202 33%
76115 2.95% -2.20% $1,341 17%
76137 2.92% -0.11% $1,575 32%
76133 2.85% 0.21% $1,689 29%
76244 2.21% -1.10% $1,994 43%
76123 1.93% -1.72% $1,938 33%

Sorted by long-run blended appreciation. Green is at least 0.5pp above the national average, red at least 0.5pp below; smaller gaps are left neutral. ZIPs shown as links have their own detail page.

How these numbers are calculated

Appreciation comes from the FHFA House Price Index — a repeat-sales index that tracks the same homes over time, which is why it isn't distorted by a change in the mix of what sold in a given year. TerraVue reads it at the ZIP level, back to 1975 where coverage allows.

The forward estimate blends 60% of the longest available look-back (20 years where available) with 40% of the most recent 3 years. Long-run history is the more reliable signal, but a market that has genuinely changed pace should not be ignored — the 60/40 split is the compromise, and it's the same figure TerraVue's simulation uses.

The national comparison is the population-weighted average of these same blended ZIP-level figures, so it compares like with like.

The FHFA index measures rates of change, not price levels. These pages therefore describe how fast prices have moved, never what a home costs — that number depends on the specific property, and it's the one input you supply when you run an analysis.

Common questions

Is it better to buy or rent in Fort Worth, TX?

It depends on the price of the specific home and how long you'd stay. What the data settles is the market backdrop: over the past 20 years Fort Worth, TX home prices have risen about 5.07% a year, and TerraVue's forward estimate is 3.79% — below the national average of 4.02% — against a median rent near $1,689. TerraVue runs about 1,000 scenarios on a specific price to return the probability that buying beats renting, plus the breakeven year.

How fast are home prices rising in Fort Worth, TX?

Over the past 20 years, about 5.07% a year; over the past three, 1.88%. TerraVue's forward estimate blends the two at 3.79%. All of it comes from FHFA repeat-sales data across 29 ZIP codes, and individual ZIPs range from 1.93% to 7.10% on that same forward basis.

Which Fort Worth ZIP code has appreciated the most?

76119 at 7.10% a year, versus 76123 at 1.93% — a spread of about 5.2 percentage points a year within the same city.

What is the average rent in Fort Worth, TX?

Around $1,689 — the median across the city's ZIP codes, from the Zillow Observed Rent Index (all homes).

Other markets in Texas

Houston, TXSan Antonio, TXDallas, TXAustin, TXEl Paso, TX