Charlotte, Tampa among CoStar’s list of top-performing retail markets in 2025
ARLINGTON, Va. – 16 December 2025 – Charlotte and Tampa were listed among the best-performing retail markets in 2025, according to CoStar, the leading global provider of online real estate marketplaces, information and analytics in the property markets.
Among the Top 43 U.S. retail markets with at least 100 million square feet of inventory, Charlotte ranked first, outperforming all other markets when looking at asking rent growth (+7.4%) and total return (11.6%).
This year's top-performing rankings were based on five equally weighted indicators: Percent of inventory leased, availability rate, market rent growth, change in sales volume, and total return for retail properties as measured by CoStar’s market price index.
“Sunbelt cities continue to dominate rankings due to demographic growth and business-friendly conditions,” said Brandon Svec, national director of retail analytics at CoStar Group. “After coming in sixth place last year, Charlotte’s rise to the top was predicated on demographic tailwinds, a diversified economy, and a disciplined supply pipeline.”
Charlotte’s white-collar job growth in 2025 outpaced a slower national labor market, fueling substantial greenfield housing development in the suburbs. Neighborhood retail, particularly newly built grocery-anchored centers, has been a magnet for brand expansion from fitness, discounters, grocers, and home goods-related tenants.
Other high-performing markets reflect a mix of established growth hubs and emerging contenders. In Florida, Tampa and Orlando, continue to benefit from strong population inflows and tight retail space availability, while Dallas’ performance was helped by its scale and transaction activity.
The full analysis can be found here.
For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit costargroup.com.
News Media Contact:
Haley Luther
Senior Communications Manager
(216) 278-0627
hluther@costar.com
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About CoStar Group, Inc.
CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, online marketplaces, and 3D digital twin technology. Founded in 1986, CoStar Group is dedicated to digitizing the world’s real estate, empowering all people to discover properties, insights, and connections that improve their businesses and lives.
CoStar Group’s major brands include CoStar, a leading global provider of commercial real estate data, analytics, and news; LoopNet, the most trafficked commercial real estate marketplace; Apartments.com, the leading platform for apartment rentals; and Homes.com, the fastest-growing residential real estate marketplace. CoStar Group’s industry-leading brands also include Matterport, a leading spatial data company whose platform turns buildings into data to make every space more valuable and accessible, STR, a global leader in hospitality data and benchmarking, Ten-X, an online platform for commercial real estate auctions and negotiated bids and OnTheMarket, a leading residential property portal in the United Kingdom.
CoStar Group’s websites attracted over 143 million average monthly unique visitors in the third quarter of 2025, serving clients around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, CoStar Group is committed to transforming the real estate industry through innovative technology and comprehensive market intelligence. From time to time, we plan to utilize our corporate website as a channel of distribution for material company information. For more information, visit CoStarGroup.com.
