Year-over-year, there have been some dramatic shifts in the rankings of cities judged by renter interest between the first half of 2024 and the first six months of 2025, according to RentCafe’s renter engagement tracker, which analyzes rental markets in the 150 largest cities in the U.S.
Some cities made spectacular jumps in the period. Fifteen of the cities ranked in the top 30 were new to these positions. They included Kansas City, MO, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, St. Paul, MN, Grand Rapids, MI, Amarillo, TX, Long Beach, CA, New Orleans and Fort Lauderdale.
The report also shows that the increased interest in some cities is propelled by suburban households seeking homes closer to the nearest metropolis.
The tracker, which RentCafe says is based on millions of interactions on its website, ranks tenant interest in cities based on the availability of apartments, listing views, favorites and saved personalized searches for each city.
The South emerged as the top region for demand, with 14 of the top 30 most sought-after cities for renters. The Midwest claimed nine – with four in the top 10, the West had six and the Northeast just one. Washington, DC, Amarillo, TX, New Orleans and Louisville, KY led in the South.
The tracker awarded the top spot in the national rankings in 1H 2025 to Washington, DC, which moved up five places. The number two spot was claimed by Kansas City, which leapt 70 spots thanks to its affordability, emerging job market and revitalized downtown. Cincinnati claimed the third spot by moving up 10 places in the rankings. Minneapolis came in fourth, even though it fell three places in the rankings, while number five Atlanta also remained in the top 10 despite falling two places.
Chicago climbed nine points to reach number six. Los Angeles leapt 44 places to become the city with the 7th highest rank as fire victims hunted for new housing. Philadelphia edged up one spot to become number eight, while Las Vegas soared 86 places to reach number nine. St. Paul climbed 24 places to claim number 10.
The most remarkable rise was in Amarillo, which scored a 176% year-over-year improvement as a renter favorite to reach number 15, even though it attracted fewer page views and searches than the year before.
The report also shows that the increased interest in some cities is propelled partly by suburban households seeking homes closer to the nearest metropolis.
That was true in Washington, DC, which drew many page views from nearby Reston, VA and Baltimore, as well as New York City. Kansas City attracted viewers primarily from its suburb, Overland Park, as well as Chicago and Denver. In Cincinnati, many viewers originated from its suburb, Forest Park, as well as Columbus and Chicago. Minneapolis, viewed as a key rental hub in the Midwest, attracted viewers especially from its twin city, St. Paul – which reciprocated the interest -- as well as from Chicago and Bloomington, MN. Atlanta drew the greatest interest from New York, Phoenix and two Atlanta suburbs, Marietta and Sandy Springs.
Los Angeles’ sharp rise in the ranking is largely attributable to renters’ desperate search for housing after being displaced by the tragedy of the wildfires that consumed many communities, with the greatest number from East Los Angeles and Long Beach, as well as Phoenix.
In other regions, the interest was greater among out-of-towners. Chicago benefited from a consistent presence on renters’ radars and strong interest from Phoenix, New York City and the suburb of Wheaton. Philadelphia appears to enjoy consistent demand for apartments, especially from New York, Boston, Phoenix and large Northeastern hubs. Las Vegas, which soared 86 spots to reach number nine in the rankings, attracted interest from Los Angeles, Phoenix and Denver attracted by its affordability, entertainment, lack of a state income tax and supply of new rentals.
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