According to the latest RentCafe.com Renter Engagement Tracker, the Midwest dominated rental interest during the busy summer moving season, with 11 cities ranking among the nation’s top 30 most sought-after rental markets, including four in the top 10.
Cincinnati claimed the top spot after climbing four places in the rankings, with page views up 34 per cent, favoured listings jumping 52 per cent, and saved searches growing 56 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Atlanta took second place, moving up two spots despite a more cautious approach from renters who are browsing more listings before making decisions.
The city continues to lead nationally for favourites and ranks fourth for saved searches.
Kansas City, Missouri, maintained strong momentum in third place, with page views increasing 50 per cent and both favourite listings and saved searches more than doubling year-over-year.
Washington D.C., which held the top position for nearly a year, dropped to fourth place as renter activity began to stabilise, though interest remains robust with saved searches up 29 per cent.
Las Vegas rounded out the top five after climbing two spots, driven by a 51 per cent increase in page views, doubled favourites, and a 157 per cent jump in saved searches.
The quarterly report tracks renter behaviour across the 150 largest U.S. cities, measuring apartment availability, page views, favourited listings, and saved searches to identify the most in-demand rental markets.
Eight new cities entered the top 30 rankings this quarter, including Queens, NY, which jumped 16 spots; Dallas, which climbed 25 positions; and St. Louis, which made the most dramatic leap, soaring 74 places to reach 27th place.
The Midwest’s dominance reflects growing interest in the region’s more affordable housing options, with Cincinnati, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Cleveland, and St. Paul all ranking in the national top 10.
The South placed eight cities in the top 30, including Atlanta (#2) and Washington D.C. (#4), while the West contributed seven cities, led by Las Vegas (#5) and Long Beach, CA (#9).
The Northeast achieved its strongest performance to date with four cities in the top 30, including Philadelphia (#7), Queens (#19), Bronx (#20), and Boston (#26).
