Minneapolis was the most-in-demand city for renters last year, followed by Atlanta, according to RentCafe, the apartment search website.
RentCafe’s first report of 2025 highlights the top cities “where savvy renters and real estate professionals should focus their attention this year,” based on the renter demand during 2024..
The rankings are based on 12 months of data from RentCafe’s our Rental Activity Reports, a monthly study tracking the rental demand in U.S. cities based RentCafe data and interactions on RentCafe.com.
Where People Want to Rent
The most in-demand cities for renters are:
Minneapolis: Minneapolis was the most in-demand city for renters for eight months during 2024. It saw a 36% year-over-year increase in page views, an 8% increase in saved searches, and a 16% decrease in apartment availability.
Atlanta: Ranked second, Atlanta appeared in the top three 10 times in 2024. Page views declined by 29%, and saved searches dropped by 59%, but the city maintained steady apartment availability.
Overland Park, Kansas: Overland Park rose to third place as it experienced a 48% surge in page views and a 6% increase in saved searches. With a 2% increase in apartment availability, Overland Park was cited for family-friendly amenities and high quality of life that have made it a “standout suburb.”
Cleveland: In fourth place, Cleveland experienced a 26% rise in page views and a 7% increase in favorited listings, although saved searches were down 28%. Demand was up, as the city saw an 18% drop in apartment availability, which RentCafe attributed to affordability and revitalized downtown.
Washington, D.C.: In fifth place, Washington saw an 8% reduction in apartment availability, despite decreases in page views (3%) and saved searches (40%). “The city’s career opportunities never fail to attract renters from all over the country,” the report’s authors write.
Region Findings
RentCafe also presented its region-by-region findings:
Midwest: With 10 cities in the top 30, the Midwest dominated rental activity in 2024. Its top cities and their rankings include include Minneapolis (1), Overland Park, (3), Cleveland (4), Detroit (7), and Chicago (9).
West: This region also had 10 cities in the top 30. Top ranked are Santa Rosa, California (6), which rose 144 spots, and Reno, Nevada (12), Portland, Oregon (19) and Sacramento, California (16).
South: Eight southern cities were in the top rankings, led by Atlanta (2) and Washington, D.C. (5), as well as Orlando, Florida (13) and Louisville, Kentucky (11).
Northeast: This region showed resilience, according to RentCafe, with Philadelphia (8) and Queens, New York (26) as the region’s top entries.
