renter news

Booming North Dallas neighbor named best U.S. city for renters in 2025

McKinney is booming.

Facebook/Visit McKinney

A Dallas-area city is the place to be for renters: According to a report from apartment search website RentCafe, McKinney has earned the title as the No. 1 best U.S. city for renters in 2025.

Called the "Best Cities for Renters to Live in 2025," the report compares 150 U.S. cities based on 20 factors including quality of life, local economy, and cost of living and housing opportunities. Cities were chosen only if they had an "apartment stock" consisting of a minimum 10,000 units; any cities with lower apartment stocks were excluded.

McKinney dethroned Charleston, South Carolina, which had held the top spot for the last two years and has since slumped into the No. 7 spot for 2025. McKinney climbed three spots from 2024, when it came in as the fourth best city.

Rounding out the top five best U.S. cities for renters this year are Sarasota, Florida (No. 2), Atlanta, Georgia (No. 3), Austin (No. 4), and Huntsville, Alabama (No. 5).

McKinney received high praise for its affordability and quality of life; the report found that the city's cost of living is 2.5 percent lower than the national average. McKinney's nationally recognized low cost of living earned it the top spot in a separate Motley Fool Money report of the most affordable U.S. cities earlier in 2025.

RentCafe adds that McKinney's job growth, its excellent school and park systems, and its large share of luxury apartments in desirable locations make it "an ideal choice for renters seeking a small-town atmosphere without sacrificing the perks of a larger urban center."

live music mckinney McKinney is a Texas Music Friendly Community. Photo courtesy of Visit McKinney

"Altogether, McKinney strikes the perfect balance between affordability and suburban comfort, thereby earning its place as the best city for renters in 2025," the report's author wrote.

The average size of a McKinney apartment spans 948 square feet, which the report says is the second-largest average apartment size in Texas. San Marcos, a city between Austin and San Antonio, outranks McKinney in that category with an average apartment size of 988 square feet.

Other top Dallas-Fort Worth cities for renters
Most Dallas-Fort Worth cities made slight improvements in the rankings since last year.

After flopping out of the top five in 2024, Plano moved up six spots and is now the 11th best U.S. city for renters in 2025. But its high cost of living — nearly 10 percent higher than the national average — means Plano still has work to do to regain a top spot among the best places for renters to live.

Denton moved up five spots into No. 33 after previously ranking as 38th a year ago. Fort Worth now claims the No. 38 spot in a big jump from its former rank of No. 53 in 2024.

Dallas remains as the 57th best city for renters for the second consecutive year.

Elsewhere in Texas
Austin's northern suburb Round Rock remained in the top 10 this year, coming in as the 8th best city for renters.

Here's how other Texas cities stacked up among the top 100 in RentCafe's report:

No. 24 – Conroe (up from No. 31 last year)
No. 27 – San Marcos (up from No. 55 last year)
No. 44 – San Antonio (up from No. 65 last year)
No. 58 – Lubbock (unchanged from 2024)
No. 63 – Midland (down from No. 52 last year)
No. 69 – Amarillo (up from No. 85 last year)
No. 70 – Houston (up from No. 71 last year)
No. 88 – Waco (up from No. 91 last year)

mckinney dallas suburbs rentcafe rent reports

hottest zips

Surprising Dallas neighbor ranks among hottest ZIP codes in U.S.

City of Lavon/Facebook

Movers are loving Lavon for its small-town feel and proximity to the big city.

A recent analysis of American relocation trends has revealed the small city of Lavon outside Dallas was one of the top five hottest ZIP code for movers nationwide in October 2025.

Lavon's 75166 ZIP code ranked No. 5 on MovingPlace's new list ranking the U.S. cities with the highest number of new movers per 1,000 current residents during the month of October.

According to the study's data, 961,650 moves took place across the nation last month. Lavon (population: 13,800) saw 10.8 moves per 1,000 residents in October, the fifth highest moving rate out of all U.S. cities.

Lavon is located 32 miles northeast of Dallas in Collin County. It was praised as a highly sought-after locale for movers who want to live somewhere affordable outside Dallas while still reaping the benefits from a community with a small-town feel.

The report also added that Lavon's 75166 ZIP was the No. 1 hottest ZIP code in September, but relocations dipped 7.7 percent from September to October.

"When looking at the top ZIP codes in each state, it’s clear that less populated ZIP codes often show dramatic month-over-month increases, sometimes exceeding 100 percent," the report said. "Larger cities, by contrast, maintain consistently high move volumes without extreme spikes, because their larger populations dampen the impact of individual moves."

These are the top 10 hottest U.S. ZIP codes based on moves per capita in October:

No. 1 – 78616 in Dale, Texas
No. 2 – 34987 in Port Saint Lucie, Florida
No. 3 – 37228 in Nashville, Tennessee
No. 4 – 80019 in Aurora, Colorado
No. 5 – 75166 in Lavon, Texas
No. 6 – 32461 in Inlet Beach, Florida
No. 7 – 10004 in New York, New York
No. 8 – 43137 in Lockbourne, Ohio
No. 9 – 30346 in Atlanta, Georgia
No. 10 – 78656 in Maxwell, Texas

The hottest U.S. ZIP codes by total move volume
Five Texas ZIPs ranked among MovingPlace's separate analysis of the top 10 hottest U.S. ZIP codes based on total move volume.

McKinney's ever-popular 75071 ZIP code ranked No. 5 on the list after gaining 298 new residents last month, only 72 residents shy from No. 1-ranking Washington, D.C.'s new resident count.

This North Dallas suburb also previously ranked as the No. 8 most popular ZIP for movers during the first five months of 2025.

The report said McKinney's most attractive qualities are its safety, its high-performing schools, and its proximity to outdoor recreational activities. it also helps that the suburb consistently ranks as the No. 1 hottest housing market in America, and it frequently tops lists comparing the best cities for renters or the most affordable cities in the U.S.

The top 10 hottest American ZIP codes in October based on total move volume were:

No. 1 – 20002 in Washington, D.C.
No. 2 – 78130 in New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – 78641 in Leander, Texas
No. 4 – 77433 in Cypress, Texas
No. 5 – 75071 in McKinney, Texas
No. 6 –32256 in Jacksonville, Florida
No. 7 –77493 in Katy, Texas
No. 8 – 85142 in Queen Creek, Arizona
No. 9 – 98052 in Redmond, Washington
No. 10 – 28269 in Charlotte, North Carolina

suburb real estate housing market moving mckinney dallas

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Booming North Dallas neighbor named best U.S. city for renters in 2025

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Surprising Dallas neighbor ranks among hottest ZIP codes in U.S.

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