Top Cities for Gen Z Renters
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Young adults moved more than any other age group of renters during the pandemic, and they chose places with a lot of jobs opportunities, a lively social scene, diversity and reliable connectivity, according to a new report.
Apartment rental applications nationwide increased by 10%, from 2.9 million applications in 2020 to 3.2 million in 2021, according to a report by RentCafe. Generation Z represented more than a quarter of lease applications and was the only generation group to record an increase (21%) in rental activity.
Top 20 Cities for Gen Z Renters
| Rank | City | % Change in Share | Share Gen Z 2021 |
Share Gen Z 2020 |
| 1 | San Francisco | 101% | 21% | 11% |
| 2 | Jersey City, New Jersey | 95% | 18% | 9% |
| 3 | Manhattan, New York | 63% | 27% | 17% |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 61% | 27% | 17% |
| 5 | Boston | 59% | 23% | 15% |
| 6 | Arlington, Virginia | 55% | 26% | 17% |
| 7 | San Jose, California | 52% | 18% | 12% |
| 8 | Seattle | 52% | 28% | 18% |
| 9 | Minneapolis | 46% | 36% | 25% |
| 10 | Los Angeles | 45% | 28% | 19% |
| 11 | Peoria, Arizona | 43% | 28% | 19% |
| 12 | Long Beach, California | 38% | 30% | 22% |
| 13 | Alexandria, Virginia | 37% | 19% | 14% |
| 14 | Irving, Texas | 37% | 20% | 14% |
| 15 | San Diego | 36% | 28% | 20% |
| 16 | Baltimore | 35% | 29% | 21% |
| 17 | Lewisville, Texas | 35% | 26% | 19% |
| 18 | Atlanta | 34% | 26% | 20% |
| 19 | Glen Burnie, Maryland | 33% | 24% | 18% |
| 20 | West Des Moines, Iowa | 33% | 35% | 27% |
Gen Z young adult renters moved to large urban areas that provide lots of job opportunities and a lively social scene, after a one-year break in their college towns or their families’ small towns in 2020, RentCafe says. Diversity and fast, reliable connectivity are a few other reasons that these renters find large cities attractive, the report says.
Cities With the Most Gen Z Residents
| Rank | City | % Gen Z | % Millennials | % Gen X | % Baby Boomers |
| 1 | Davis, California | 69% | 24% | 5% | 2% |
| 2 | Boulder, Colorado | 66% | 18% | 10% | 6% |
| 3 | Conway, Arkansas | 59% | 27% | 10% | 4% |
| 4 | Lynchburg, Virginia | 58% | 23% | 12% | 7% |
| 5 | Bloomington, Indiana | 57% | 24% | 15% | 4% |
| 6 | Ankeny, Iowa | 49% | 30% | 12% | 9% |
| 7 | Kenosha, Wisconsin | 48% | 35% | 11% | 6% |
| 8 | Jonesboro, Arkansas | 48% | 34% | 12% | 6% |
| 9 | Fayetteville, Arkansas | 48% | 30% | 14% | 7% |
| 10 | Denton, Texas | 47% | 30% | 15% | 7% |
| 11 | Lincoln, Nebraska | 47% | 30% | 16% | 8% |
| 12 | Lubbock, Texas | 46% | 30% | 15% | 8% |
| 13 | Columbia, Missouri | 46% | 32% | 15% | 7% |
| 14 | Tyler, Texas | 46% | 31% | 17% | 6% |
| 15 | San Marcos, California | 45% | 26% | 21% | 8% |
| 16 | Kalamazoo, Michigan | 45% | 33% | 15% | 7% |
| 17 | Topeka, Kansas | 45% | 29% | 16% | 9% |
| 18 | Tempe, Arizona | 45% | 38% | 12% | 5% |
| 19 | Springfield, Missouri | 42% | 31% | 15% | 11% |
| 20 | Clarksville, Tennessee | 42% | 41% | 11% | 5% |
The study analyzed rental application data from January through October 2021 compared with the same period in 2020. The analysis was based on data from 3.2 million rental applications from RentGrow Inc., a renter screening service, for approximately 44,000 rental communities nationwide.
For more information from the RentCafe report click here.
Andre Claudio is an assistant editor at Route Fifty.
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