Top 50 U.S. Cities for Renters
Hey Ya’ll!
Surviving the heat? I am — as long as I’m in my apartment. If I’m traversing the city underground via subway — fuggedaboutit!
So, aside from the heat, what’s up? The best cities for renters across the country that’s what!
It’s true, we have the scoop from a blog about rental property management software (of all things). They’ve used some fancy schmancy software to determine the top 50 cities for renters in 2010. What’s so cool about the list is that while price is a consideration, they really take into consideration all aspects of renting — from tenant rights to vacancy rate (=how much you’ll have to scramble to find a place). Here’s the top 10.
| RANK | CITY | COST PER SQ. FT. | RENT PRICES (09-10) | VACANCY RATE | RENT AS % OF INCOME | TENANT COUNCIL | FORECLOSURE PROTECTION | RENT CONTROL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago, IL | $1.00 | -3.71% | 12.8% | 26% | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2 | Arlington, TX | $0.52 | -2.34% | 13.3% | 12% | Yes | No | No |
| 3 | Mesa, AZ | $0.65 | -1.23% | 19.8% | 15% | Yes | No | No |
| 4 | Indianapolis, IN | $0.60 | -1.48% | 10.2% | 16% | No | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | Phoenix, AZ | $0.77 | -6.03% | 19.8% | 18% | Yes | No | No |
| 6 | Jacksonville, FL | $0.76 | 2.58% | 19.5% | 18% | Yes | Yes | No |
| 7 | Fresno, CA | $0.74 | -5.75% | 3.8% | 22% | No | No | Yes |
| 8 | Sacramento, CA | $1.05 | -6.46% | 7.1% | 25% | No | No | Yes |
| 9 | Detroit, MI | $0.60 | -2.45% | 17.7% | 25% | No | Yes | No |
| 10 | Tuscon, AZ | $0.80 | -0.67% | 10% | 26% | Yes | No | No |
If you want to see all 50 cities , do check the Rental Property Software Advice site where the folks also go into further detail about what tenant-friendly foreclosure laws are and have some sexy rental spreadsheets for your perusal.
Personally, I feel pretty validated as I’ve always declared Chicago the best city ever (sorry NYC!) and this is just icing on the cake.
I’m not super familiar with any of the other cities mentioned, so if you are, any thoughts?
