Rental Activity Report: Overland Park, KS, Returns to Top Spot, West Region Attracts Most Interest From Renters

• Overland Park, KS, dethrones Minneapolis as renters’ favorite city this month.
• The West stands out as the most sought-after region for renters with 11 cities in our top 30, most of which are in California.
• Detroit rejoins the top 10 most in-demand cities for renters alongside Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; and Cincinnati.

It’s the high season for moving, and renters continue their online searches, browsing intensely to find the perfect place to call home. So, which cities are seeing the most interest from apartment hunters?

Overland Park, KS, leads in renters’ preferences this month, marking the second time this year that it has managed to outrank reigning Minneapolis. In fact, runner-up Minneapolis has been renters’ top favorite nearly every month so far in 2024. Next is Detroit, propelled to the podium by the high volume of engagements its listings generated on RentCafe.com.

Coming in fourth is Washington, D.C., which continues to attract a significant number of online searches from renters to secure another month among the top 10 cities. Then, Atlanta comes in fifth, three spots lower than the previous month, but still a top renter favorite with a solid engagement rate.

These cities are attracting considerable attention on RentCafe.com, as renters are viewing listings in large numbers, favoriting properties and customizing their searches despite limited availability.

In the heat of the peak season for renting, apartment hunters are more attracted to cities in the West. With 11 locations in the top 30 cities for rental activity, the region is proving to be a magnet for those seeking rentals. The South follows closely behind with 10 entries, while the Midwest secures eight spots in this month’s ranking. Notably, busy Northeastern hubs are getting fewer online hits this summer. In fact, Philadelphia stands as the sole East Coast representative on our list.

For a wider perspective on regional trends leading up to the peak rental season, browse our mid-year rental activity report that summarizes the most eye-catching cities for renters in the first half of 2024.

Overland Park, KS, is the most popular city for renters in July

Below are July’s top 10 cities for rental activity and details on their evolution in the past year.

1. Overland Park, KS

Overland Park managed to outshine Minneapolis once again (after its initial success in April) interrupting a months-long reign over the most in-demand cities for renters this year. The 50% year-over-year increase in page views for Overland Park listings on RentCafe.com helped the city climb to the top spot after occupying fourth place in last month’s report.

This month, more than double the number of Overland Park apartments were favorited by renters looking for a new place compared to this time last year. The 30% surge in saved personalized searches also shows increased rental activity in the city along with an 11% drop in available listings on RentCafe.com. Most apartment hunters looking to relocate here hail from neighboring Kansas City, MO, as well as Chicago.

2. Minneapolis

Staying in the Midwest, Minneapolis stepped down from the #1 spot it has occupied for most of 2024 so far. However, the city still ranks second this month thanks to a high volume of online apartment searches and interactions. Specifically, listings in the city attracted 21% more traffic than one year ago even though there were 20% fewer rentals to choose from on RentCafe.com.

One of the nation’s top cities for rental activity, Minneapolis also stands out thanks to renters’ strong intent to move here. This is reflected in the 50% rise in favorited properties and the 3% uptick in saved searches — essential steps in the rental process before signing a lease.

3. Detroit

Third on our list this month is another Midwestern city — Detroit, which made an impressive, 12-spot climb since last month to go straight to the podium. Motor City was one of the most popular cities for renters in the first half of the year and it continues to see significant rental activity in peak season.

Furthermore, we see that the number of page views for Detroit apartments doubled compared to this time last year. Plus, renters saved 21% more personalized searches, which is another indicator of intense online searches for apartments in the city. This led to 35% fewer listings available on RentCafe.com as compared to one year ago — yet another mark of increased rental activity. What fuels this growth in popularity? For one, Detroit’s steady stream of revival projects that only adds to its appeal.

4. Washington, D.C.

The nation’s capital is still a catch for renters looking to balance job opportunities and a great quality of life, even though the city ranks one spot lower than last month. Overall, Washington, D.C., saw high engagement rates and increased online interactions from apartment hunters in the city, but also from renters in Baltimore and New York City.

More demand for apartments in Washington, D.C., also resulted in 21% fewer listings available on RentCafe.com compared to last July. This helped the city maintain a spot among the nation’s most popular cities for renters this month.

5. Atlanta

Atlanta rounds out our top five this July, strengthening its status as one of the most sought-after renter hubs in the South so far in 2024. After checking the box for the top city to watch for rental activity this year, this Southern gem continues to attract out-of-state renters from busy places like Miami, Chicago and New York City, our data shows.

The overall high search volumes on RentCafe.com fuel the city’s long-term stay in our top 30, even though it descended three positions since last month.

6. Cleveland

Back in the Midwest, Cleveland is the sixth city in the nation for rental activity this month. While this is close to its position last month, listings in Ohio’s second most-populated city attracted 18% more page views than one year ago. At the same time, renters favorited nearly 70% more properties — a sign of surging rental activity.

More online searches for Cleveland units contributed to a 14% drop in available listings on RentCafe.com. Renters making those searches mainly come from nearby Cleveland Heights, OH, as well as from places like Chicago, New York City and Columbus, OH.

7. Louisville, KY

Kentucky’s largest city made its way to the seventh place among this month’s top 30 cities for rental activity after climbing 12 spots since our June report. Plus, Louisville scored a place in our ranking for the most appealing cities for renters in the first half of the year.

Louisville stands out thanks to a 32% rise in online traffic for its listings on RentCafe.com compared to this time last year. The generous uptick in page views seems even more impressive given the fact that there were 32% fewer apartments available on the platform to choose from. This is another sign of increased rental demand, especially from apartment hunters hailing from Indianapolis and Atlanta.

8. Cincinnati

Ranking eighth this month, Cincinnati is a veteran of our monthly rental activity reports thanks to high online engagement rates from apartment seekers. Here, the increased search volume led to a drop in available listings and helped this Midwestern city stay high on our list.

Zooming in, renters looking to relocate to this attractive rental hub mainly come from Columbus, OH, but also from Atlanta, Detroit, and even Nashville, TN.

9. Indianapolis

Speaking of the Midwest, Indianapolis is ninth on our list of most popular cities for renters, five spots higher than in our June report. In this case, the city’s expanding job market and supply of fresh, new apartments are attracting renters. Most apartment hunters interested in Indianapolis listings (in addition to locals) come from Chicago and Atlanta, which also stand out for intense rental activity.

For Indianapolis, the high engagement rates for properties in the city led to a 27% drop in available apartments for rent on RentCafe.com compared to one year prior.

10. Reno, NV

Finally, Reno, NV, closes out our top 10 cities for rental activity in July after climbing seven spots since last month’s ranking. The Biggest Little City in the World saw a 23% rise in favorited listings compared to last July and an impressive 41% decrease in available listings on RentCafe.com, signaling intense rental activity this peak season for moving.

In addition to its proximity to Lake Tahoe and numerous entertainment offerings, Reno is also seeing a dynamic economic environment. For example, Tesla is expanding its nearby gigafactory while other major tech names like Apple and Microsoft also have a presence here.

West is most in-demand region for renters, South breathing down its neck

Both the West and South regions have stood out in our monthly rental activity reports and are now close to sharing the status of most-coveted area for apartment seekers. The West counts 11 cities in our top 30 this month, followed by the South with 10 locations. Next is the Midwest with eight entries while the Northeast has just one location.

Reno, NV, is this month’s highest-ranking city in the West at #10, followed by Ontario, CA, at #14. Interestingly, most cities in the region that made it into our top 30 this month are in California, including Sacramento (#17), Bakersfield (#18), Los Angeles (#19), and newcomers Long Beach (#24) and Fontana (#27). Among them, Bakersfield stands out due to a 58% rise in online traffic for its listings on RentCafe.com.

Washington, D.C., is the South’s top city for rental activity this month, followed by Atlanta (#5); Louisville, KY (#7); Winston-Salem, NC (#11); and Orlando, FL (#13). Not to be outdone, Southern locations Richmond, VA; Cape Coral, FL; Greensboro, NC; Tulsa, OK; and Baton Rouge, LA, also saw high rental activity this month to complete the list. For example, Cape Coral saw a whopping 54% drop in available listings on RentCafe.com due to high demand for rentals, while Tulsa managed a 36% rise in saved searches, reflecting renters’ clear intent to move.

Further inland (and in addition to leader Overland Park, KS, and the other five Midwest cities in the top 10), there are other locations in the region shining bright when it comes to rental activity — namely, Chicago and Columbus, OH. The Windy City ranks just outside of the top 10 at #12, which is lower than last month, but still among the most coveted renter hubs due to high online engagement rates. Columbus, on the other hand, climbed 11 positions to #28, driven by a 33% drop in available listings on RentCafe.com due to increased rental demand compared to this time last year.

Speaking of climbing, Philadelphia also jumped three spots higher than last month and is the only Northeastern city in our top 30. That’s because page views for Philly apartments rose by 21% compared to one year ago, while renters had 11% fewer listings to choose from.

Meet the newcomers: Renters show more interest for Western cities in peak season

This month, there are six new entries in our top 30. These are cities that entered the ranking for the first time or came back after at least one month on lower positions. The highest-ranking newcomer in July is Chandler, AZ, at #22. This Phoenix suburb saw a rising demand for rentals in the past year, which resulted in 28% fewer listings available on RentCafe.com and a slight uptick in favorited properties — a direct result of intense online search activity.

Other Western locations that are new on our list this month include California’s Long Beach (#24) and Fontana (#27). These sunny, palm tree-lined cities managed to ascend 18 and 16 places, respectively, from last month. The reason behind this is a rise in online searches for apartments in both places, which led to a decrease in available listings of up to 40%.

Completing the list of newcomers in this month's top 30 cities for rental activity are Columbus, OH; Tulsa, OK; and Baton Rouge, LA. And, looking closer, it’s clear that Tulsa made the most remarkable climb on our list in July — up 39 spots to #29.

Here's the full list of cities analyzed and their scores:

Methodology

RentCafe.com is a nationwide apartment search website that enables renters to easily find apartments and houses for rent throughout the U.S.

To compile this report, the research team analyzed RentCafe.com’s rental listing data across the 150 largest cities by population in the contiguous U.S. with a relevant listing inventory sample. The regions are defined according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The cities were ranked based on a city-level rental activity score. Full points were awarded to the most desirable city for a particular metric, while the zero-point level was set slightly below the worst city’s value. Cities that lacked sufficient information regarding specific metrics were awarded zero points.

Beginning in August 2023, the city that obtained the highest total score was awarded 100 points and all total scores of the following cities were adjusted accordingly.

To calculate each city’s score, we ranked them according to four metrics and their averages as of the most current month in 2024 versus the same month in 2023.

1. Availability Rate (Maximum score: 40 points)

The availability rate score was calculated by dividing the total vacant units at the city level for the most recent month by the total units and a year-over-year comparison of the same. The lowest rate received maximum points.

2. Page Views (Maximum score: 30 points)

The page views score was calculated as the total number of monthly page views for the most recent month at the city level divided by the total renter population in the city and a year-over-year comparison of the same. Page views are defined as a unique user interaction on a specific page in a 30-minute window.

3. Favorites (Maximum score: 15 points)

The favorites score was calculated as the total monthly rental listings added to favorites at the city level for the most current month divided by the total renter population in the city and a year-over-year comparison of the same. A favorite is defined as a rental listing saved to favorites by a website visitor.

4. Saved Searches (Maximum score: 15 points)

The saved searches score was calculated as the total number of monthly saved searches at the city level for the most current month divided by the total renter population in the city and a year-over-year comparison of the same. A saved search is defined as a filtered/personalized apartment search saved by a website visitor.

Fair use and redistribution

We encourage you and freely grant you permission to reuse, host, or repost the research, graphics, and images presented in this article. When doing so, we ask that you credit our research by linking to RentCafe.com or this page, so that your readers can learn more about this project, the research behind it and its methodology. For more in-depth, customized data, please contact us at media@rentcafe.com.