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More than a third of U.S. renters pack up and move into another apartment inside their metro area in under two years, according to a study by RentCafe.
Renters prefer suburban living, the data showed, with 41% drawn to greener, amenity-rich neighborhoods. At the same time, safety is paramount as 54% of renters call it their number one priority, followed by walkability at 39%. Meanwhile, 41% of renters favor lower rent for signing a longer lease.
“Lockdowns changed many renters’ housing preferences,” RentCafe said in the study. “The need for more space to accommodate home offices or easy access to nature pushed renters to quickly find different places, even after short stays. Return-to-office mandates sometimes prompted quick moves back near jobs or required job changes in order to remain remote, thereby causing further quick moves. Later, the end of pandemic-era eviction moratoriums also played a part in quick moves.”
Where U.S. renters move most?
1. Austin, TX — is the nation’s number one move-easy hotspot, with a significant 54% of renters moving to a different apartment in less than two years. More precisely, the share of renters moving to a different apartment frequently surged by 34.4% between 2018 and 2023.
2. Provo, UT — holds the number two spot nationally for very frequent movers, with 60% of its renters choosing a new home in under two years — the highest share among all metros analyzed, placing it second for high mobility nationwide. This high rate of frequent moving also increased by a solid 21.9% between 2018 and 2023.
3. Charleston, SC — America’s best city for renters — secures the number three spot among the top move-easy metros, with 55% of its renters moving to a new place within two years.
Meanwhile, Gen Zers are overwhelmingly the most frequent movers among U.S. renters. In 2023, the vast majority (72%) lived in their previous home for two years or less. Between 2018 and 2023, RentCafe said millions of Gen Z members entered their prime renting years, which explains the massive surge in the sheer number of movers from this generation.
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