Overview

• Realtor.com evaluated over 300 U.S. cities using rent-to-income ratios, rental vacancy rates, and the prevalence of entry-level jobs to determine grad-friendly rental markets.
• Austin claimed the top spot with an 18.9% rent-to-income ratio and 29.4% share of jobs requiring only a bachelor’s degree, repeating its No. 1 ranking from last year.
• Raleigh, Overland Park, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Richmond, Pittsburgh, Scottsdale, Richardson, and Atlanta complete the top 10 with median rents between $1,335 and $1,604.
• April’s national median rent fell to $1,699 even as the U.S. average monthly rent sits at $2,100, leading many households to spend about 40% of income on housing.
• The leading markets host twice the concentration of recent graduates compared with the top 50 metros and offer roughly 7% lower rents for new renters.