?WhereToHQ

Ranked · Renting · United States

Best cities for renters in the US

Cities of 25,000+ residents, scored with the “Renting” weighting the live tool uses, heaviest on 2-bedroom rent, 1-bedroom rent, rent yoy, walkability. Scores are relative to this set; open the tool to change the weights and re-rank.

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Top 10 · computed ranking

  1. 1.Laredo, TX258k residents

    74/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,010/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $790/mo · walkability: 42/100

  2. 2.Lincoln, NE295k residents

    73/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,102/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $931/mo · walkability: 42/100

  3. 3.Toledo, OH267k residents

    72/100

    2-bedroom rent: $930/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $669/mo · walkability: 42/100

  4. 4.Sioux Falls, SD201k residents

    72/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,060/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $890/mo · walkability: 38/100

  5. 5.El Paso, TX680k residents

    71/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,034/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $850/mo · walkability: 48/100

  6. 6.Tulsa, OK414k residents

    71/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,102/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $887/mo · walkability: 42/100

  7. 7.Wichita, KS398k residents

    71/100

    2-bedroom rent: $996/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $802/mo · walkability: 42/100

  8. 8.Little Rock, AR203k residents

    71/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,117/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $927/mo · walkability: 38/100

  9. 9.Killeen, TX158k residents

    71/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,081/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $840/mo · walkability: 38/100

  10. 10.Milwaukee, WI567k residents

    70/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,400/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,150/mo · walkability: 62/100

Methodology: each city is scored 0–100 by min–max normalizing every weighted facet across this candidate set (direction-aware), identical math to the tool's “Best fit” tab. A different weighting produces a different order, which is the point: this is a starting shortlist, not a verdict.

Questions & answers
Which city is best for renters in the US?
Laredo, TX ranks first with a fit score of 74/100, followed by Lincoln (73) and Toledo (72), using the "Renting" weighting.
How is this ranking calculated?
Each of the 10 candidate cities (25,000+ residents) is scored 0 to 100 by min-max normalizing the weighted facets, heaviest on 2-bedroom rent, 1-bedroom rent, rent yoy, walkability, across this set. Change the weights in the live tool and the order changes with them.