NIC MAP released third quarter data for the 880 active adult rental communities they track across the U.S. Active adult communities are age-eligible, market-rate, multifamily rental properties focused on enhanced lifestyle programming without providing meals. 

Key takeaways included the following:  

Takeaway #1: Pace of Active Adult Development Has Slowed 

• The chart below illustrates active adult rental inventory by the year these properties opened. 

• Active adult is still a relatively new product type, with roughly half of inventory opened in the past 10 years. 

• In the first three quarters of 2026, however, NIC MAP tracked only 2,200 new units opening across 880 active adult rental communities comprised of nearly 130,000 units. 

• This pace is well below recent years in which openings averaged 7,000 new units per year over the 2023 through 2025 period.  

Takeaway #2: Active Adult Occupancy Rates Climbed Higher 

• Against this backdrop of slower supply growth, the average active adult occupancy rate increased 0.6 percentage points in the third quarter to 93.2%, up 1.3 percentage points so far in 2026. 

• For stabilized properties open at least two years, occupancy rates jumped by 0.9 percentage points to 94.4%, roughly in line with where they started the year. 

Takeaway #3: Active Adult Occupancy Rates Improving in Sunbelt and Other Select Markets 

• For the 15 largest active adult rental markets, the bar chart below shows All Occupancy rates, with the U.S. average of 93.2% shown in the dotted line. 

• The highest occupancy rates in the third quarter were in Buffalo (97.7%), Los Angeles (97.4%), and San Diego (97.4%).  

• Phoenix had the lowest occupancy rate at 88.7%. Austin ranked second lowest but had a significant improvement of 3.3 percentage points from the prior quarter to 91.3% in the third quarter.  

• These trends may indicate that some of the softening in the active adult market in 2025 has improved in 2026. 

Takeaway #4: Most Popular Active Adult Amenities Focus on Lifestyle and Wellness 

• Below are the top ten amenities ranked by percent of active adult properties in the third quarter. 

• Fitness centers, clubhouses, pools, and activities coordinators were most popular within both the Primary and Secondary Markets, highlighting the focus on lifestyle, wellness, and engagement that appeal to active adult residents.