Dive Brief:
- As the spring rental season marches on, certain metros in the Midwest have caught the eye of potential renters more than anywhere else, according to RentCafe’s latest monthly rental activity report, which is based on engagement with RentCafe.com apartment listings
- Overland Park, Kansas, is the most sought-after place to live for renters, overtaking Minneapolis, which had been at the top of the list through the start of 2024. Rentals in Atlanta, Cleveland and Washington, D.C., are also drawing strong interest from apartment seekers.
- Out of the top 30 most active rental markets by RentCafe’s metrics, the West and South each have nine cities on the list, followed by the Midwest at eight and the Northeast at three. However, the Midwest holds the majority of the spots in the top five.
Dive Insight:
Overland Park, located southeast of the Kansas City metro, has climbed steadily up the rental activity list since the beginning of 2024.
Online listings for properties in the city saw a 256% surge in page views year over year in April, and the city also saw a 138% increase in listings favorited by users and a 67% YOY jump in saved searches. However, this demand hasn’t come with the same boost in supply — available rental listings in the city have only risen 3% over the same period.
RentCafe attributes the city’s boosted popularity to its growing bioscience and tech employment sectors, highly ranked schools and affordable cost of living. The city has an average rent of $1,410, a number that has risen only slightly over the past year.
Top 10 most sought-after rental markets
| Market | YOY change in availability | YOY change in pageviews | YOY change in favorites | YOY change in saved searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overland Park, Kansas | 3% | 256% | 138% | 67% |
| Minneapolis | -19% | 133% | -23% | 47% |
| Atlanta | 1% | -11% | -51% | -53% |
| Cleveland | -26% | 118% | 8% | -10% |
| Washington, D.C. | -9% | 35% | -16% | -36% |
| Orlando, Florida | -21% | 9% | -36% | -52% |
| North Las Vegas | -28% | 230% | -75% | 0 |
| Tacoma, Washington | -19% | 192% | -55% | -37% |
| San Jose, California | -28% | 202% | -14% | 0 |
| Knoxville, Tennessee | -22% | 148% | -60% | -44% |
SOURCE: RentCafe
Minneapolis, which led the rankings for the last four months, had a more modest 133% increase in page views YOY and a 47% rise in saved searches. While the city did experience a 23% decrease in favorited listings YOY, it also saw a 19% decline in available apartment listings, indicating a competitive rental market, according to RentCafe.
Out of the 150 largest cities in the country, Queens, New York, experienced the strongest growth in page views at 269% YOY, while Port St. Lucie, Florida, had the steepest drop in listings at -77% YOY. Overland Park had the highest growth in favorited listings and saved searches.
RentCafe’s rental activity score is based on availability of vacant units, page views, favorites and saved searches in a particular city over the past year.
