May was an important month for apartment properties in the lease-up stage of development, as absorption of new units in many major U.S. markets increased significantly from April.
May's absorption rate also surpassed the 12-month average in most of these markets.
In this analysis, Axiometrics defines absorption in a market as the average number of units filled in a month at newly built properties that have not reached stabilized occupancy of 90 percent.
The table lists lease-up performance for several of Axiometrics' top 50 apartment markets.
| Metro | Lease-Ups | Units in Lease-Up | May Absorption | April Absorption | 12-Month Average | May vs. 12-Month |
| Anaheim | 9 | 3,749 | 46 | 34 | 23 | 23 |
| Tampa | 12 | 3,655 | 31 | 15 | 22 | 9 |
| Dallas | 50 | 16,045 | 27 | 18 | 19 | 8 |
| Chicago | 20 | 5,193 | 24 | 19 | 18 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | 24 | 6,729 | 24 | 17 | 19 | 5 |
| Seattle | 31 | 5,792 | 19 | 13 | 16 | 3 |
| Houston | 58 | 17,329 | 20 | 11 | 17 | 3 |
| Atlanta | 29 | 7,925 | 20 | 12 | 17 | 3 |
| Washington | 52 | 14,015 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 2 |
| Boston | 23 | 5,952 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 2 |
| Austin | 35 | 9,979 | 18 | 10 | 16 | 2 |
| Baltimore | 11 | 2,390 | 11 | 8 | 12 | -1 |
| Orlando | 19 | 5,248 | 16 | 13 | 19 | -3 |
| San Francisco | 5 | 1,117 | 13 | 18 | 18 | -5 |
| New York | 14 | 2,482 | 6 | 10 | 15 | -9 |
Absorportion figures are units per property per month. Source: Axiometrics, Inc.