Forbes Advisor, the financial advice website, evaluated the 96 most populated U.S. cities to uncover the best and worst cities for renters. It considered average rental prices and unit sizes for one- and two-bedroom rentals, the change in average rent from year to year, crime rates, the percentage of dog-friendly rentals and amenities among other metrics. It also took account of the percentage of renters who are “rent-burdened.” People who pay more than 30% of their income on rent are considered rent-burdened by the federal government.
Making the list of 10 best cities for renters are Chandler, Arizona. It scored 100 out of 100, followed by Gilbert, also in Arizona; then Henderson, Nevada; Plano, Texas; Austin, Texas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Lincoln, Nebraska; Washington, D.C.; Denver, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Newark made the list, but for all the wrong reasons. According to Forbes Advisor, Newark is “the worst city for renters nationwide.” Brick City scored zero out of 100; its “high percentage of rent-burdened households (56%) and small average unit sizes contributed to its ranking.” Forbes Advisor said the average rent price for a one-bedroom apartment in Newark is $1,348 and 55.72% of households there are rent-burdened.
Keeping Newark company in the bottom five cities are Hialeah, Florida; San Bernardino, California; Anchorage, Alaska, and Los Angeles, California. Forbes Advisor rated New York City sixth worst overall.