Demand for apartments has officially hit unprecedented levels, according to new data from RealPage, with Dallas-Fort Worth leading the way among individual cities 

The number of occupied apartments in the 150 biggest US metros increased by 219,909 units in the second quarter, the largest quarterly increase since RealPage began monitoring that figure in the early 1990s. In contrast, demand for apartments in the first quarter of 2020 was a mere 33,000 units.

Apartment demand has been bolstered by rising employment growth, which has spurred household formation, according to RealPage. The most recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the economy added 850,000 jobs in June, and employment counts in higher-paying sectors are nearing or exceeding pre-COVID levels. Young adults are also moving out of their parents' homes and forming their own households again.