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Arlington is ‘the most sought-after city by U.S. renters’

Apartment buildings that make up The Highlands development (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington is “most desired city by renters” in the United States for the second month in a row, according to a rental website.

From RentCafe.com’s August Rental Activity Report:

Arlington, VA, is August’s most sought-after city by renters looking for an apartment for rent on RentCafe.com, the same as last month. Apartment listings in the city attracted a significantly higher number of engagements compared to this time last year.

Specifically, traffic on Arlington listing pages more than doubled year-over-year, while renters favorited 72% more apartments and saved 38% more personalized searches. This continued (and growing) interest from apartment seekers in Arlington listings also helped the city keep its top spot for another month.

Arlington was followed on the top of the list by a trio of midwestern cities: Kansas City, Minneapolis and Cincinnati. Neighboring D.C. ranked No. 15, falling two spots.

The popularity comes at a cost, however. One- and two-bedroom rents were up 6% year-over-year as of May, according to a report from another rental website, Zumper, which ranked Arlington County as the 10th priciest rental market in the U.S.

At least some of that rising demand is being met by new development. Large apartment projects are underway or planned in neighborhoods including Pentagon City, Crystal City and Courthouse.

August 2023 rental activity rankings (via RentCafe.com)