rent check
Dallas neighbor ranks as 2nd best U.S. city for renters, report says
Luxury apartments are on the rise in Plano.
Plano continues to hit home runs for its highly sought-after livability. Now, it can add renting favorability to its growing list of achievements that outshine other Metroplex cities.
Plano was deemed the No. 2 best city for renters in a new report by online apartment rental marketplace RentCafe, out of a total 136 American cities. The suburb's total population is just over 282,000 people, with the average renter's income at $73,930 a year. Last year, Plano landed at No. 13 in the same survey.
A Plano renter's average apartment size is around 939 square feet, which is the biggest space out of all Texas cities, the report says. Luxury apartments make up a surprising 78 percent of all units in the suburb. By comparison, in Dallas, luxury units make up fewer than half of all apartments (49 percent).
"Having recently started to make a name for itself as the 'City of Excellence,' Plano lands second on our list," the report says. "Plano’s reputation for producing great academic achievers make it an ideal spot for families looking for a city with excellent public schools, in addition to its great air quality and significant share of high-end apartments."
Plano was also praised for its local economy, after jobs rose 6 percent year-over-year from 2022 and 58 percent of the city's population has at least one college degree.
"Because the city is also home to a variety of headquarters for large companies — such as Bank of America, Hewlett Packard, FedEX, JCPenney and Pepsi — it also has one of the highest job growth rates nationwide," the report says.
Denton (No. 19) was the only other Dallas-Fort Worth suburb to make it into the top 20 best cities for renters. The average renter's income in the college town is $39,690 a year, coinciding with an average apartment size of 882 square feet.
Dallas, on the other hand, fell short of the top 30 and landed in No. 32, whileFort Worth followed closely behind at No. 37. Both cities have similar average annual renter incomes ($47,349 in Dallas versus $45,824 in Fort Worth) and have similar average apartment sizes (849 square feet versus 874 square feet).
Here's how other Texas cities stacked up in RentCafe's report:
- No. 41 – Odessa
- No. 43 – Lubbock
- No. 53 – Houston
- No. 55 – San Antonio
- No. 90 – Corpus Christi
- No. 91 – Waco
- No. 120 – El Paso
Overall, the top 10 was dominated by Texas cities. The North Austin suburb of Round Rock ranked No. 6, while Austin proper ranked No. 7, and Conroe earned No. 9.
Filling in the gaps in the top 10 are Charleston, South Carolina (No. 1); Scottsdale, Arizona (No. 3); Atlanta, Georgia (No. 4); Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 5); Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 8); and Arlington, Virginia (No. 10).
