How these cities made the list
Many people are opting to rent instead of buying a home, largely because of rising home prices and mortgage interest rates. On the other hand, national rental price increases are modest, with just a 0.77% annual increase in March 2024.[1] But some cities are better suited for renters than others.
The Zebra set out to find the worst areas for renting by analyzing the 50 most populous cities in the U.S. using four data points:
- Annual change in rent price: Some cities are more likely to see high rent hikes each year, which can cause housing unpredictability for renters.
- Rent as a percentage of income:
- WalkScore: A low Walk Score means you may be more dependent on a vehicle for shopping and commuting to work.
- Rental vacancy rate (by state): A low vacancy rate means landlords can be more aggressive with prices since there is less supply available for renters. For comparison, the national vacancy rate is 6.6%.[2]
Wondering what areas are the worst for renting? We've got the answers with 11 cities (due to some ties) where it may be worth navigating those Sunday open houses instead of signing another year-long lease.
Methodology
The Zebra pulled four data points to analyze the top 50 MSAs (by population) in the U.S. related to rent and income.
MSA data was used where applicable, and we sometimes substituted city or state data as necessary.