Washington, D.C., has regained its spot at the top of the list of most popular rental markets during the first quarter, as measured by online engagement on RentCafe.com. The nation’s capital showed strong online activity across all metrics as the rental market prepares for the busiest moving season of the year.
By region, the South dominates RentCafe’s ranking, with half of the cities in the top 30 for online engagement. The Midwest had 10 cities in the top 30, while the West only had four and the Northeast had just one in the top 30.
Washington, D.C., first topped the ranking in the fall of 2024 and regained its top spot during the first quarter despite a 7% decrease in page views. The city drew an 18% uptick in favored listings and a 13% drop in saved searches, which suggests apartment hunters are moving quickly to secure rentals. Most of the city’s interest came from renters in Baltimore, New York City and Philadelphia.
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The runner-up in the first-quarter ranking is Cincinnati, which climbed nine spots since Q1 2024. The market logged a 29% year-over-year decline in saved searches, but strong renter interest was reflected by a 37% uptick in listings added to favorites. RentCafe said this suggests a less urgent approach to searches, which is aided by a 36% increase in available listings. The most renter engagement for Cincinnati came from nearby Columbus, Ohio, as well as Atlanta and New York City.
Rising 12 spots from last year, Kansas City earned the third-place position in the ranking, mainly due to a 5% increase in online traffic amid a 4% drop in availability. Renters appear to be snapping up properties quickly, as saved searches dropped 9% for the quarter. Most activity for Kansas City listings originated from apartment hunters in Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City, Kansas.
Atlanta slipped one spot to fourth on the list, as renters appear to be spending more time exploring their options before committing to a lease, said RentCafe. Apartment listings in the market continue to attract high levels of online activity, but favorited listings and saved searches have fallen over the past year. Much of the interest in Atlanta rental listings is local, but itincludes those located in New York, Miami and Chicago, as well.
In fifth place is Chicago, where saved searches dropped 23% and available listings dipped 3%. The smaller pool of available units, coupled with the smaller number of saved searches, suggests renters aren’t waiting to lease in the Windy City. Chicago attracts renter interest from its suburbs as well as cities like Phoenix, New York City and Dallas.
Rounding out the top ten hottest rental markets were Minneapolis, Columbus, Los Angeles, Cleveland and St. Paul. Meanwhile, nine cities joined the top 30, including Columbus, Ohio; Las Vegas; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Tampa; Augusta, Georgia; Sacramento; Fort Lauderdale; Columbus, Georgia; and Knoxville, Tennessee.
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Kristen Smithberg
Kristen Smithberg is a Colorado-based freelance writer who covers commercial real estate, insurance, benefits and retirement topics for BenefitsPRO and other industry publications.
