October Rental Activity Report: Queens Takes Top Spot, Midwest Is Most Popular Region

• New York City borough Queens is October’s most sought-after location by U.S. renters in our October rental activity report.
• Elsewhere in the state, Buffalo, NY, is this edition’s highest-ranking new entry after climbing an impressive 70 places.
• The Midwest is, by far, the most in-demand region this month, with 12 cities on our list.
• Overland Park, KS, is the nation’s second most popular rental destination and the highest-ranking location in the Midwest. 

Renting is the new buying as home prices are still high, and October marks the transition from the peak rental season. But, which cities are seeing the most listing activity and attracting the most attention from apartment hunters?

This month, Queens, NY, is the most popular location for renters looking for apartments on RentCafe.com. Listings in New York City’s largest borough attracted the highest engagement from apartment hunters in October 2023, helping this urban hub climb two spots since last month. The next three positions are occupied by Midwestern cities: Overland Park, KS, takes the second place this month after jumping two spots closer to the top. Then, Kansas City, MO, is October’s third most sought-after city by renters, followed by Minneapolis at #4.

Meanwhile, Atlanta is this edition’s highest-ranking Southern city at #5, the same spot as last month. Apartment listings in these cities saw the most engagement on RentCafe.com due to high rates of rental properties saved to favorites, personalized searches, scarce unit availability and overall high listing views.

The Midwest dominates October’s top 30 list of cities with the most rental activity, counting 12 entries in our ranking, despite the South’s longer warm-weather rental season. The West comes next with seven cities, followed by the South with six destinations and the Northeast with five entries. Clearly, renters are looking for apartments for rent in places that offer a good balance between quality of life, job opportunities and affordability. This helped cities like Knoxville, TN; Chandler, AZ; Columbus, OH; and Peoria, AZ; make remarkable climbs in our ranking.

Even so, major urban centers with a wide range of amenities are still appealing to renters. Namely, apartment listings in Boston and Detroit attracted significant traffic this month, helping the cities rank higher and re-enter our top 30 list.

Notably, Arlington, VA — previously the top city for rental activity during the last three months — dropped to #7, although it continues to attract interest from renters.

Queens is most in-demand location for renters in October

Below are this month’s top 10 cities for rental activity, as well as the biggest shifts in the last 30 days.

1. Queens, NY

Apartments for rent in Queens, NY, were the most sought-after in October on RentCafe.com, climbing two spots since September to surpass Arlington, VA, and Kansas City, MO, rentals. It’s worth noting here that New York’s largest borough has been a part of our top 30 since May and has been climbing slowly and steadily to the top spot.

Here, increased demand led to a 72% year-over-year drop in available apartment listings in Queens — the most significant drop among all of the 150 U.S. cities we analyzed. At the same time, the number of page views for Queens listings nearly tripled as renters favorited 127% more properties compared to last October. In a bid to make their apartment searches more efficient, renters saved 19% more personalized searches in Queens than they did one year ago.

2. Overland Park, KS

This Kansas City suburb continues to be appealing to renters, climbing two spots since last month to #2. This is the city’s second silver medal after occupying the same position in our June report. Renters looking for apartments for rent in Overland Park are mainly from Kansas City, MO; Chicago; Kansas City, KS; and Denver, according to our research.

Specifically, traffic for Overland Park listings rose by 85% year-over-year as the number of available apartments for rent on RentCafe.com decreased by 8%. Plus, renters added five times as many apartments to their favorites list compared to last October, which was the most significant increase among all of the cities analyzed. The 50% rise in saved personalized searches also helped the city rank second in our October rental activity report.

3. Kansas City, MO

Similarly, KCMO has been part of our top five since April, and even led the ranking for two months in a row, in May and June. This month, Kansas City listings attracted interest from out-of-state renters, particularly from Chicago, Denver and Dallas.

Traffic for KCMO listings doubled year-over-year. At the same time, renters favorited 169% more apartments, which shows their intent to move to one of the Midwest’s most appealing cities for renters. Additionally, apartment seekers saved 122% more personalized searches for apartments (using various filters, such as “pet-friendly apartments”), which marks the highest rise among all of the 150 cities we considered.

4. Minneapolis

Minneapolis ranks fourth in our October rental activity report and is the third Midwestern city among this month’s top five, further confirming the region’s growing popularity. Renters looking for Minneapolis apartments for rent on RentCafe.com mainly come from within the Twin Cities metropolitan area, but also from Chicago, Dallas and St. Louis.

Increased rental demand in Minneapolis led to a 21% year-over-year drop in available apartments in the city. Plus, listings in the city attracted double the traffic this month compared to last October. Renters also added 16% more apartments to their favorites list and saved 42% more searches, pushing Minneapolis three positions higher in our ranking since last month.

5. Atlanta

Atlanta rounds out our top five as October’s highest-ranking Southern city. This marks the city’s seventh month among the country’s top 10 cities for rental activity after it debuted as #1 in our April report. Atlanta is a top destination for renters looking to relocate from major urban hubs such as Chicago, New York City and Miami.

Rental listings in Atlanta generated significant engagement rates on RentCafe.com this month, which helped the city rank high despite minor year-over-year changes in traffic numbers.

6. Bronx, NY

The Bronx is another popular rental destination in October, ranking sixth (the same as last month). NYC’s most affordable borough stayed among the top 10 locations for rental activity this past high season, generating significant traffic on RentCafe.com.

Here, increased rental demand led to a 20% drop in available apartments for rent on our platform compared to last October, while Bronx listings attracted double the traffic. Meanwhile, renters added triple the number of properties to their favorites lists and saved 17% more searches than one year ago, helping this location rank high.

7. Arlington, VA

September’s #1 city now ranks seventh, but it’s still a popular destination for renters looking for an apartment in an area that offers easy access to the amenities and opportunities in the nation’s capital. In fact, the largest share of renters searching for Arlington listings are from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, our research shows.

More precisely, the number of page views for Arlington listings rose by 73% year-over-year, while renters favorited 25% more properties, which shows their determination to rent an apartment here. Speaking of apartments, available units in the city decreased by 26% compared to one year ago. Additionally, renters saved 27% more personalized searches for Arlington apartments on RentCafe.com. All of this helped the city rank among the most popular rental destinations in October.

8. Cincinnati

Cincinnati is another popular Midwestern hub for renters and a veteran in our top 10 cities for rental activity. This month, it occupies the eighth spot — the same as in September. Cincinnati’s great mix of job opportunities and affordable cost of living attracts renters from cities like Columbus, OH; Atlanta; Chicago; and New York, our study found.

This month, apartment listings in Cincinnati attracted 49% more traffic compared to last October. Plus, renters added 135% more properties to their favorites list on RentCafe.com, which indicates their intention to move here. As a result of increased demand, the number of listings in the city decreased by 10%, which helped the city continue to rank among the top 10 most popular cities.

9. Buffalo, NY

Buffalo is October’s highest-ranking new entry. While the city has been part of our top 30 cities for rental activity during the summer, it missed September’s report. Then, after climbing an impressive 70 spots, it landed at #9 in this month’s chart. The state’s second most populous city is popular among renters looking to relocate from places like Syracuse, NY; New York City; and Philadelphia.

Buffalo marks the third Northeastern location in our top 10, which is a milestone for the region as it gains popularity now that the high season is closing and renters are hoping to catch better deals here. Specifically, the number of page views for Buffalo listings and favorited apartments nearly tripled compared to last October, while renters saved 48% more listings.

10. Knoxville, TN

Knoxville rounds out our top 10 after climbing 17 positions since last month. This Southern city just entered our top 30 last month and continues to attract engagement on RentCafe.com, particularly from renters in Atlanta and Nashville, TN.

Here, the number of available listings dropped by 7% compared to September in response to increased demand for rentals in the city. Plus, page views for Knoxville apartments nearly doubled year-over-year. At the same time, renters favorited 50% more apartments and saved 17% more personalized searches on RentCafe.com, boosting Knoxville higher on our list.

Midwest cities top renters' preferences, but Northeast locations gain ground

Offering a balance between job opportunities and affordability that's hard to beat, cities in the Midwest remain among the most popular for renters in October. However, Northeastern renter destinations are making gains as the region counts three cities in our top 10 for the first time.

More precisely, the Midwest claims 12 positions in our top 30, including the second, third and fourth spots. Overland Park, KS, is the heartland’s highest-ranking city, taking October’s silver medal. Kansas City, MO; Minneapolis and Cincinnati are also among the top 10 cities for rental activity in October. Notably, Detroit jumped a whopping 31 places and returned to our top 30 at #28, managing the most significant climb among the region’s rental locations.

The West comes next with seven cities on our list, led by Portland, OR, at #12. The City of Roses climbed one spot since last month and saw a 1% decline in available apartments for rent on RentCafe.com. Listing page views and favorited properties rose by more than 60% each compared to last October, helping the city rank high in our top 30. The other Western locations in October’s top 30 are mostly suburban cities that offer easy access to transit and big-city amenities: Chandler, AZ (#13); Denver (#17); Tacoma, WA (#21); Peoria, AZ (#23); Albuquerque, NM (#24); and Aurora, CO (#27).

Aside from Atlanta occupying the fifth spot, the South claimed six entries in this month’s top 30 list. Arlington, VA, formerly the nation’s top city for rental activity, dropped to #7, while cities like Knoxville, TN (#10); Orlando, FL (#19); and Mobile, AL, (#26) have all gained in popularity since last month.

Next, a total of five cities in the Northeast region are part of our top 30 ranking: In addition to Queens, NY, the Bronx is sixth and Buffalo, NY, is ninth, with major hubs Philadelphia and Boston at #20 and #25, respectively.

Meet the newcomers: Demand for urban amenities boosts major cities & nearby suburbs in rankings

This month’s newcomers come from the Midwest, Northeast, West and South. More precisely, the top new entry in our October rental activity report is Buffalo, NY, which landed at #9 after finishing at #79 in September. Another Northeastern debut is Boston at #25. High rental demand in this major urban hub led to a 24% decrease in available listings on RentCafe.com. What's more, renters added three times as many properties to their favorites list, showing increased determination to settle here.

Meanwhile, Phoenix suburbs Chandler, AZ, (#13), and Peoria, AZ, (#23) represent the West among this month’s new entries. In particular, Chandler climbed 28 places since last month after renters favorited nearly five times as many apartments compared to last October — the second highest increase among all 150 cities we analyzed. At the same time, traffic for Chandler listings on RentCafe.com rose by 72% to help the city get closer to the top. Peoria also managed to jump 26 spots since our last report, elevated by its 88% rise in listings traffic and 56% uptick in favorited apartments. Increased rental demand for this tranquil and scenic location also led to a 29% drop in available apartments for rent on our platform.

Not to be outdone, Detroit stands out among the other new Midwestern entries after jumping 31 places since last month and landing at #27. Renters looking for a new place in Motor City saved nearly double the number of personalized searches on RentCafe.com — the second highest year-over-year rise among all the cities we included. Views for Detroit listings also increased by 76% as renters favorited 34% more properties than last October. This helped Detroit re-enter our top 30 list of cities with the most rental activity.

Additionally, Wichita, KS, is one of the most desired locations for renters in the U.S. and, this month, it entered our top 30 at #29. Wichita listings attracted 80% more traffic than one year ago, while renters saved 64% more personalized searches. When it comes to renters looking to relocate here, most come from Dallas and Kansas City, MO, according to our research.

Madison, WI, completes the list of Midwestern debuts at #22. Here, the number of favorited Madison apartments nearly quadrupled as available listings decreased by 26% due to increased rental demand for this location.

Mobile, AL, is the South’s only new entry this month at #26 after climbing 32 positions. Listings in this port city attracted 49% more views compared to last October as renters favorited 57% more apartments and saved 86% more personalized searches — this month’s third highest rise among all cities analyzed. Renters looking to move here mainly come from Chicago, New Orleans and Atlanta, our data shows.

Here's the full list of cities analyzed and their scores:

Methodology

RentCafe.com is a nationwide apartment search website that enables renters to easily find apartments and houses for rent throughout the U.S.

To compile this report, the research team analyzed RentCafe.com’s rental listing data across the 150 largest cities by population in the contiguous U.S. and with a relevant listing inventory sample. The regions are defined according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The cities were ranked based on a city-level rental activity score. Full points were awarded to the most desirable city for a particular metric, while the zero-point level was set slightly below the worst city’s value. Cities that lacked sufficient information regarding specific metrics were awarded zero points.

Beginning in August 2023, the city that obtained the highest total score was awarded 100 points and all total scores of the following cities were adjusted accordingly.

To calculate each city’s score, we ranked them according to four metrics and their averages as of the most current month in 2023 versus the same month in 2022.

1. Availability Rate (Maximum score: 40 points)

The availability rate score was calculated by dividing the total vacant units at the city level for the most recent month by the total units and a year-over-year comparison of the same. The lowest rate received maximum points.

2. Page Views (Maximum score: 30 points)

The page views score was calculated as the total number of monthly page views for the most recent month at the city level divided by the total renter population in the city and a year-over-year comparison of the same. Page views are defined as a unique user interaction on a specific page in a 30-minute window.

3. Favorites (Maximum score: 15 points)

The favorites score was calculated as the total monthly rental listings added to favorites at the city level for the most current month divided by the total renter population in the city and a year-over-year comparison of the same. A favorite is defined as a rental listing saved to favorites by a website visitor.

4. Saved Searches (Maximum score: 15 points)

The saved searches score was calculated as the total number of monthly saved searches at the city level for the most current month divided by the total renter population in the city and a year-over-year comparison of the same. A saved search is defined as a filtered/personalized apartment search saved by a website visitor.

Fair use and redistribution

We encourage you and freely grant you permission to reuse, host, or repost the research, graphics, and images presented in this article. When doing so, we ask that you credit our research by linking to RentCafe.com or this page, so that your readers can learn more about this project, the research behind it and its methodology. For more in-depth, customized data, please contact us at media@rentcafe.com.