Renter Engagement Tracker: Washington, D.C. Ranks 1st With South Claiming Half of Top 30

With spring in full bloom and summer getting closer, it’s almost time for the busiest moving season, when renters are hard at work searching for apartments. With that in mind, we researched the cities that are getting the most online engagement on RentCafe.com through available data for the full first quarter of 2025.

Washington, D.C., attracted the most interest from renters in the first quarter of 2025 by showcasing strong online activity across all metrics. Next, Cincinnati comes in second after soaring nine spots since one year ago, followed by Kansas City, MO, in third place after a 12-spot ascent. Then, Atlanta drops one position into #4, and Chicago climbs one spot to #5.

Looking at the regional rankings, the South dominates, claiming half of the cities in the elite top 30 for online engagement from renters. The Midwest also has a strong showing with 10 cities, and the West trails behind with four. The Northeast has the fewest entries, with only one city making the top 30.

Our recurring analysis of rental market activity is evolving. We are transitioning from the monthly Rental Activity Report to the new quarterly Renter Engagement Tracker (REnT). This series will continue to track renters’ engagement with listings on RentCafe.com in the top 150 U.S. cities, aiming to provide fresh insights into renter preferences and market dynamics. You can still access our previous monthly reports, such as those for January and February. For a wider perspective, dive into our comprehensive 2024 Year-End Rental Activity Report.

Washington, D.C., attracts most renter engagement

1. Washington, D.C.

After first topping the podium this past fall, Washington, D.C., continues its reign over the ranking in the first part of the year. Despite a 7% decrease in page views, its popularity is fueled by an 18% uptick in favorited listings and a 13% drop in saved searches. This shows that the nation’s capital is a hotspot for apartment hunters, who appear to be moving quickly to secure rentals here.

In the first quarter of the year, most online activity came from renters from Baltimore, New York City and Philadelphia.

2. Cincinnati

Cincinnati is the runner-up this quarter, after climbing nine spots since this time last year. Despite a 29% year-over-year decline in saved searches, renter interest in the city remains strong — as reflected by the solid 37% uptick in listings added to favorites. This trend suggests that apartment-seekers may be adopting a less urgent approach to their search, likely influenced by the 36% increase in available listings.

In Cincinnati, most renter engagement came from nearby Columbus, OH, as well as Atlanta and New York City.

3. Kansas City, MO

Kansas City, MO, climbed 12 spots in the last year to now earn the third place in our ranking. Its rise was mostly due to a 5% increase in online traffic amid a 4% drop in availability combined with a 9% decrease in saved searches, suggesting that renters may be making faster decisions on apartments they like.

For this city, most activity originated from apartment hunters in Chicago; neighboring Kansas City, KS; and Dallas.

4. Atlanta

Atlanta slid one spot in the rankings in the last year to land in fourth place this quarter. Although apartment listings here continue to attract high levels of online activity, renters seem to be spending more time exploring their options before committing to a lease. This more deliberate approach likely contributes to its year-over-year drop in favorited listings and saved searches.

That said, aside from locals, most renter engagement for Atlanta apartments came from New York, Miami and Chicago.

5. Chicago

Chicago — a red-hot competitive market in early 2025 — ranked fifth for renter activity this quarter, despite an 11% drop in page views year-over-year. Its appeal is driven by a 23% decrease in saved searches, along with a 3% dip in available listings, which further limits the pool of available rental units. All of this suggests that renters are moving quickly to secure a place that fits their needs.

Chicago continues to attract renters from the nearby suburb of Wheaton, IL, as well as apartment hunters from larger cities such as Phoenix, New York City and Dallas.

6. Minneapolis

Coming in sixth for renter activity is Minneapolis, the top city to watch this year. Notably, a 6% uptick in available listings year-over-year and declines in online engagement metrics — including 51% fewer saved searches and 28% fewer page views — suggest that those looking for an apartment for rent in this city are rushing to secure a lease on their new happy place.

Here, most of the online activity came from apartment seekers from Chicago; Minneapolis’ twin city of St. Paul, MN; and Dallas.

7. Columbus, OH

Columbus, OH, has significantly increased in popularity throughout the last few months, climbing an impressive 34 spots to now land in seventh place. Specifically, the 3% year-over-year drop in availability reflects a tightening rental market, whereas the 16% increase in favorites suggests that renters are weighing their options carefully, possibly waiting until they find the perfect apartment.

Aside from local renters, most of the activity for Arch City comes from apartment hunters from Cleveland, New York City and Atlanta.

8. Los Angeles

Los Angeles also worked its way up the rankings to now claim eighth place. Even with a 6% increase in available listings year-over-year, renters have continued to add specific apartments to their favorites (up 24%), rather than save broader searches, which suggests a sense of urgency in their search. Unfortunately, the devastating wildfires at the start of the year further tightened the supply of apartments in the Los Angeles area.

The most interest in Los Angeles apartments comes from those in East Los Angeles; nearby Inglewood and Long Beach, CA; Phoenix; and San Jose, CA.

9. Cleveland

Next up is Cleveland, which managed to stay in the top 10 by securing the ninth place this quarter. With 52% more available listings compared to one year ago, renters in the Forest City seem to be taking a more relaxed approach in their search, with saved searches down by 30% and only a slight 1% uptick in favorited units.

This quarter, most online engagement originated from apartment hunters hailing from New York City; Cleveland Heights, OH; and Columbus, OH.

10. St. Paul, MN

Rounding out the top 10 is St. Paul, MN, which slid two positions since last fall, likely due to a 19% drop in online traffic — even as available listings soared by 22% year-over-year. In this case, apartment-hunters seem to be searching more thoroughly, as reflected in the 15% increase in saved searches and the 4% uptick in listings added to favorites.

Most of the online activity in St. Paul rentals came from renters from Minneapolis, as well as Chicago; Dallas; and Roseville, MN.

The South is most in-demand region, claiming half of the top 30

The South dominates the rankings this quarter, boasting 15 entries in the elite top 30 most sought-after cities. The Midwest is next with 10 entries, followed by the West with four. The Northeast lags noticeably behind with only one city represented in the rankings.

Interestingly, though, the picture shifts within the top 10, where the Midwest leads with seven cities compared to three from the South.

Leading in the South is Washington, D.C., which is also #1 in the nation. It’s followed by Atlanta (#2 regionally and #4 nationally) and Chesapeake, VA (#3 in the region and #13 in the U.S.). Next up, Amarillo, TX, ranks fourth in the South and 15th in the nation, followed by St. Petersburg, FL (#5 in the region and #16 in the U.S.); Louisville, KY (#6 in the South and #19 in the nation); and Tampa, FL (#7 regionally and #21 in the U.S.).

The list continues with Augusta, GA (#8 in the South and #22 in the U.S.); Richmond, VA (#9 in the region and #23 in the nation); and Baltimore (#10 in the South and #25 in the U.S.). Montgomery, AL (#11 regionally and #26 nationally), is also on their heels, as are Fayetteville, NC (#12 in the South and #27 in the U.S.), and Fort Lauderdale, FL (#13 in the region and #28 in the nation).

Columbus, GA (14th regionally and 29th nationally), and Knoxville, TN (15th regionally and 30th in the U.S.), round out the Southern entries in the top 30.

Moving to the Midwest, Cincinnati — the national runner-up — ranks first for renter engagement this quarter. Next up are Kansas City, MO (#2 in the Midwest and #3 in the U.S.), Chicago (#3 regionally and #5 nationally), Minneapolis (#4 in the Midwest and #6 in the U.S.), and Columbus, OH (#5 in the region and #7 in the nation).

Also in the national top 10 for renter activity are Cleveland, OH (#6 in the Midwest and #9 in the U.S.) and St. Paul, MN (#7 regionally and #10 nationally).

Further down the list, Overland Park, KS, ranks eighth in the Midwest and 14th in the U.S., followed by Grand Rapids, MI (#9 regionally and #18 in the U.S.). Indianapolis is the last Midwestern city in the top 30, ranking 10th in the region and 20th in the U.S.

In the West, it’s Los Angeles that takes the crown this quarter, while ranking eighth in the U.S. It’s followed by Las Vegas, which made an 88-position leap to be the regional runner-up (and rank 12th nationally). Next up is Portland, OR (#3 in the West and #17 in the U.S.), while Sacramento, CA, closes out the list, ranking fourth in the region and 24th in the nation.

Lastly, the only Northeastern location in this quarter’s rankings is Philadelphia, which ranks 11th in the U.S.

Meet the newcomers: 9 new cities in this quarter’s rankings

Compared to the previous quarter, there are nine new cities in this quarter’s ranking of the top 30 for renter engagement — six from the South, two from the Midwest, and one from the West.

Leading the newcomers is Columbus, OH, which jumped 34 spots to join this quarter’s top 10. Then, after soaring a staggering 88 positions, comes Las Vegas, driven by a 19% decrease in saved searches despite a 7% dip in page views.

Grand Rapids, MI, climbed 17 spots even with a dip in online traffic. Its ascent was fueled by solid decreases in both saved searches and favorited listings, suggesting that renters here skip essential steps in their digital search as they rush to secure a lease. Not far behind is Tampa, FL, which has also made its way up the rankings following a 13-position jump, followed by Augusta, GA.

Next up is one of the Western newcomers — Sacramento, CA, which climbed 14 positions even with a year-over-year dip in page views. With fewer units available, apartment-seekers in California’s capital appear to be quick to secure a place they like amid diminishing options, as evidenced by the 41% drop in saved searches.

Finally, three Southern newcomers close out the top 30: First, Fort Lauderdale, FL, rose 71 spots, fueled by a sold decline in saved searches, which demonstrates that renters here are very decisive in their search. Likewise, Columbus, GA, climbed 17 positions, due to 65% fewer saved searches year-over-year. And, Knoxville, TN, advanced 22 spots after experiencing a 40% increase in listings added to favorites year-over-year.

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 quarter in 2025 versus the same quarter in 2024.

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 quarter 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 page views for the most recent quarter 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 rental listings added to favorites at the city level for the most current quarter 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 saved searches at the city level for the most current quarter 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.

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