RentCafe: Cincinnati Jumps to Top Spot for Renter Interest in Q3

(Image courtesy of Dave Morgan/pexels.com)

RentCafe, Santa Barbara, Calif., released its renter activity report for the third quarter, finding that Cincinnati was the most-searched city for apartments.

Cincinnati saw pageviews up 34%, listings “favorited” up 52% and saved searches up 56%. Previously, the Midwestern hub was No. 3 on the first-half 2025 list.  

Atlanta was No. 2 on the list, up from No. 5 in first-half 2025. Kansas City, Mo., was No. 3, compared with No. 2.

Washington, D.C., which previously topped the list for nearly a year, fell to No. 4.

And Las Vegas is No. 5, compared with No. 9 in the first-half 2025 report.

Rounding out the top 10 for Q3 are Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Long Beach, Calif., and St. Paul, Minn.

Overall, the Midwest stands as the most in-demand region for renters, with 11 cities in the top 30 and four in the top 10. Next is the South, with eight cities, the West, with seven.

The Northeast had just four cities in the top 30, but that’s an improvement from recent quarters.

The city that saw the largest drop in renter engagement was Orlando, Fla., falling 13 spots on the list to No. 28.