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Augusta and Columbus Join Atlanta in the Top 30 Cities for Renter Interest

RentCafe

Thursday, May 8th, 2025

Atlanta has been a long-standing renter favorite but, as we get closer to the moving rush, interest intensified statewide: Two more cities in Georgia made the top 30 locations with the highest renter engagement. 

The quarterly Renter Engagement Tracker (REnT) tracks renters’ engagement with listings on RentCafe.com in the top 150 U.S. cities, aiming to provide fresh insights into renter preferences and market dynamics. 

Here’s what the data shows: 

  • Atlanta ranks high on our list at #4. Renters here seem to be spending more time exploring their options before committing to a lease. This more deliberate approach likely contributes to its year-over-year drop in favorited listings and saved searches. 

  • Augusta and Columbus both entered the top 30 at #22 and #29, respectively. Augusta saw a major increase in favorited listings (up 74%) coupled with a slight drop in apartment availability, signaling renters are narrowing down their searches. 

  • Additionally, listings in Columbus saw an increase in favorites (up 18%), while the apartment availability in the city remains among the tightest nationwide. 

With spring in full bloom and summer getting closer, it’s almost time for the busiest moving season, when renters are hard at work searching for apartments. With that in mind, we researched the cities that are getting the most online engagement on RentCafe.com through available data for the full first quarter of 2025.

Washington, D.C., attracted the most interest from renters in the first quarter of 2025 by showcasing strong online activity across all metrics. Next, Cincinnati comes in second after soaring nine spots since one year ago, followed by Kansas City, MO, in third place after a 12-spot ascent. Then, Atlanta drops one position into #4, and Chicago climbs one spot to #5.

Looking at the regional rankings, the South dominates, claiming half of the cities in the elite top 30 for online engagement from renters. The Midwest also has a strong showing with 10 cities, and the West trails behind with four. The Northeast has the fewest entries, with only one city making the top 30.

 

 

Check out all the shifts in rental dynamics in our full report here: www.rentcafe.com