April Rental Activity Report: Atlanta Leads as the Most In-Demand City, Manhattan Makes Top 5

• In April, Atlanta is the most desired city by renters in the U.S., with the highest search activity on RentCafe.com.
• Apartment listings in Kansas City, MO, and Albuquerque, NM, came in second and third place, according to RentCafe.com listings activity data.
• Detroit landed in fourth place with the highest climb in rankings compared to March, and Manhattan wraps up the top five.

Renting is now the new buying as high home prices and the spring season bring out more renters looking for apartments. But which cities are seeing the most listing activity and attracting the most attention from apartment hunters?

To find out, we analyzed millions of interactions on our own apartment search website, RentCafe.com, to find the most active locations for renting in the nation. Our brand new monthly rental activity report will keep you updated on the latest movements and shifts in renting demand across the 150 largest cities in the U.S.

For this report, we are analyzing four indicators from rental listings on Rentcafe.com to rank the cities with the most in-demand apartments:

• availability of apartments
• listing views
• apartments saved as favorites
• saved personalized searches

We also looked at how these indicators changed from last year, to see the evolution of rental activity by city. RentCafe’s Rental Activity Report will be published monthly and can serve as a useful tool when discussing other industry reports for a complete market outlook.

Atlanta claims the top spot as the most sought-after city by renters in April 2023, followed by Kansas City, MO, and Albuquerque, NM. Apartment listings in these cities saw the most engagement this month, with high rates of rental properties saved to favorites, personalized searches, scarce unit availability, and overall high listing views.

The three cities share some common characteristics. They offer a mix of affordability, job opportunities, and entertainment options that appeal to many renters.

Detroit makes a remarkable entry at number four, showing signs of revival and growth. Rounding up the top five, Manhattan holds its status as a perennial top favorite for renters despite its high cost of living.

Atlanta crowned most in-demand city for renters in April

1. Atlanta

Atlanta is the most desired city by renters in April, buzzing with rental activity on RentCafe.com. Apartment hunters in Atlanta added twice as many listings to their favorites lists compared to this time last year. Moreover, rental listings in Atlanta attracted some of the highest traffic and high rates of saved searches from renters looking on RentCafe.com for a place to live, which helped this charming city go straight to the top of our ranking this month.

This Southern gem is bursting with job opportunities at companies expanding or moving here, pushing the area to rank eighth nationwide for office leasing activity in 2022. The city’s constant presence among the country’s top tech towns in recent years also makes it more appealing to renters.

2. Kansas City, MO

Kansas City is the runner-up in April’s most in-demand cities for renting on RentCafe.com. KCMO made it on the leaderboard after jumping an impressive 27 spots from last month’s ranking. This was the result of renters marking listings as favorites six times more than a year prior, while the number of page views for listings in this location is among the highest in the U.S.

Furthermore, renters in Kansas City saved 87% more personalized searches on RentCafe.com compared to one year ago. In addition to great barbecue, renters here also love the more affordable housing and cost of living compared to other cities, as well as exciting new tech job opportunities. We see you, Meta.

3. Albuquerque, NM

New Mexico’s largest city is the third most in-demand renting location this month, buzzing with activity. The number of rental listings in Albuquerque added to favorites increased seven times year-over-year. Plus, there were also 66% more listing views than one year ago — the highest increase among the cities included in our research.

The area’s rise in popularity helped it climb 19 positions in our top 30 in just one month. Albuquerque’s abundance of outdoor activities and flourishing entertainment business are just two of the reasons behind apartment hunters’ growing interest in the city.

For full data, score breakdown and changes in availability, page views, apartments saved as favorites and saved personalized searches for each city, jump to the table at the end of the article.

4. Detroit

This Midwestern city saw the most spectacular evolution this month, jumping a whopping 84 spots to land in fourth place. Saved personalized searches for apartments in Detroit increased by nearly 150% year-over-year, while renters favorited five times more apartments.

Plus, there was also a 19% rise in traffic on listings pages in the city. Without a doubt, Detroit’s several billion-dollar construction projects, its focus on small business growth and its ongoing lifestyle revival (Have you tried Corktown’s hipster eateries yet?) make the city appealing for renters.

5. Manhattan, NY

We wrap up our top five most in-demand places for renters this month with Manhattan, a place that is consistently seeing a high volume of searches on RentCafe.com. This New York City borough seems to be making a comeback as a top favorite for renters (Was it ever not one?) with a quick rise in the number of apartments saved to favorites on Rentcafe.com, eight times more than one year ago.

Manhattan's desirability is confirmed by a 17% drop in available listings and the 31% jump in saved personalized searches for listings. Here, the return to the office seems to be one of the main reasons why living in Manhattan is regaining appeal, as employees have started moving back to the area.

6. Denver

Apartments in Denver saw the sixth highest interest from renters in April. Often described as a nature lover’s paradise, this growing city continues to attract renters, thanks to its dynamic job market and a myriad of outdoor activities. Denver apartments saw high engagement metrics this month, as renters favorited five times more listings than last April.

Apartment hunters in Denver also saved 54% more personalized searches for apartments than this time last year. Clearly, this lively mountain city is a renting gem, constantly attracting high interest from renters searching for a place to live on RentCafe.com.

7. Arlington, VA

The city on the Potomac River made its way to April's top 10 thanks to attractive job opportunities, a great location offering easy commutes to D.C. and the Tysons Corner job cluster, and high income (the median income here is almost double the national number).

As such, the number of Arlington apartments added to favorites lists by renters doubled year-over-year, while apartment seekers saved 63% more personalized searches for listings on RentCafe.com.

8. Memphis, TN

Renters’ increased interest in this artsy city on the Mississippi River led to Memphis grabbing the eighth place in our April ranking. More precisely, the number of apartments in Memphis favorited by renters quadrupled year-over-year, as views of listings in the city rose by 30%.

Renters also saved 42% more personalized searches for Memphis apartments on RentCafe.com. Likely, the city’s diverse art scene — mixed with a balanced pace of life and a more affordable cost of living — all contribute to Memphis’ desirable renting city status.

9. Orlando, FL

Orlando’s presence on this month's top 10 list comes as no surprise. Apartment listings in this Florida city regularly attract a high volume of searches on RentCafe.com. Often viewed as a more affordable living option than Miami or Tampa, FL, Orlando has become a great place for young professionals and families looking for a good mix of job opportunities and leisure activities.

The number of favorited listings in Orlando nearly tripled compared to a year ago. Personalized saved searches for apartments in the city also rose by 19% in that same timeframe.

10. Durham, NC

Durham is known for its growing job opportunities in the tech sector and is appreciated for its authenticity and good food. These are just a few of the reasons that led to this North Carolina charmer rounding out April's top 10.

Renters perusing RentCafe.com for Durham apartments favorited eight times as many apartments compared to a year prior. This impressive jump, coupled with apartment seekers saving 56% more personalized searches, helped this city rank so high.

Big-city life resurges as Philly, Boston & Chicago make top 30

Large urban hubs are much loved by renters, and many are located in the Northeast region. Overall, there are five Northeastern spots on April's top 30 list of cities with the highest rental activity.

Philadelphia came in 13th place, as apartment seekers added five times more available rentals to their favorites lists compared to a year ago, while also doubling the rate of saved personalized searches for apartments.

Similarly, Boston ranked 19th in our top 30 after the number of apartments added to renters’ favorites lists tripled year-over-year. Views of rental listings in Boston also rose by 6% compared to one year ago.

Further down the coast, the nation’s capital was also hot for renting this month, ranking 26th on our list. High demand for apartments in Washington, D.C., led to 17% fewer listings this month compared to one year prior. Plus, the number of favorited listings by renters jumped 160% year-over-year.

Not to be outdone, neighboring Arlington, VA, ranked seventh among large cities, after the number of favorited apartments doubled and the number of saved personalized searches jumped 63%.

Chicago is also buzzing with renting activity this month. This beloved Midwestern city occupies the 16th spot as the number of listings added to favorites by apartment seekers on RentCafe.com quadrupled in the past year. In addition, high demand led to a 10% drop in availability in the Windy City.

Meanwhile, Florida’s sizzling Orlando ranks ninth on April's list, while Fort Lauderdale comes in at number 25. The number of listings added to favorites by renters for each location on RentCafe.com more than doubled compared to one year prior.

Once again, this confirms the increased competitivity in both cities that offer newcomers a more affordable cost of living, a tax-friendly environment and a laidback lifestyle.

Meet the newcomers: From the Midwest's Detroit & Minneapolis to the Southeast's tech towns

One-third of the top 30 this month is made up of new entries. By far, Detroit had the biggest climb in rankings, jumping 84 spots since last month. Likewise, other Midwestern cities that entered the top of the ranking included Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Indianapolis.

Specifically, Minneapolis ranks 11th in April after jumping 25 spots, as the number of listings in the city favorited by renters quadrupled in the last year. Apartment seekers also saved 50% more personalized searches for listings in Minneapolis. At the same time, this in-demand location also saw a 17% drop in available rentals.

Next, with 21% fewer apartments available compared to one year ago, Milwaukee was among the country’s most sought-after cities by renters, coming in 24th place. Indianapolis came in as number 30 after the number of favorited listings in April here quadrupled.

North Carolina’s Durham (10th) and Charlotte (27th) are also newcomers on our list of most desired cities, thanks to their dynamic economies and job opportunities fueled primarily by the tech sector. In this case, listings in Durham that were added to renters’ favorites lists increased a whopping eight times more than last year, helping the city jump 23 spots in one month. And, for Charlotte, favorited apartments tripled within the same timeframe.

Long Beach, CA; Richmond, VA; Birmingham, AL; and Virginia Beach, VA, complete this month’s list of newcomers.

Here is 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., with a relevant listing inventory sample.

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.

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 (Max 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 (Max 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 (Max 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 (Max 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.