This Heartland City Remains Most Popular Among Renters
The month’s rental numbers make the South the most popular region, and keep New York City off the top 30 list.
Results are in from RentCafé for its June Rental Activity Report, and they warrant attention as renting becomes the new form of buying due to high home prices. This month is also the peak time for renters searching for an apartment.
Kansas City, Mo., known for its own style of barbecue, has seen its popularity heat up and remains the most sought-after city by U.S renters, beating out 29 others for the very top spot among the top 30. It’s done that now for two consecutive months. Overland Park, Kan., earned the second highest spot, after climbing 78 spots since last month. Minneapolis followed in third place, Cincinnati in fourth and Detroit in sixth.
The South also was very popular, claiming 12 entries in the June ranking—the largest number of all regions. Atlanta was seventh and Orlando came in eighth. Altogether six new locations entered the top 30 category, with North Carolina’s tech hub of Charlotte becoming 20th and its Greensboro becoming 30th. Hialeah, Fla., located in the Miami metro, showed high rental demand, too, with its 17th berth.
And where was the Big Apple? Not in the list but its nearby boroughs of the Bronx and Queens did rate among renters’ favorites. The Bronx made it to 14th, in part because of its affordability. Queens came in at 25th, which represented a drop of two spots from the prior month.
Other noteworthy moves are that Albuquerque was among the top five, moving down slightly from third place in April and May. But the good news is that views of New Mexico’s largest city more than doubled from a year ago. Philadelphia dropped six spots to 19th but remains a desirable place for renters, reflected in the 9% decrease in available listings this month versus last June.
Little Rock, Ark., ranked 21st, which represented a climb of 56 spots, said to be due to its small-town vibe and big-city amenities. Those include its being the state capital of Arkansas, having a zoo and also hosting a Presidential library for William J. Clinton. Other newbies to the list include Madison, Wis., at 23rd; Glendale, Ariz., at 27th; Birmingham, Ala., at 28th; and Richmond, Va., at 29th.