Report: Metro Atlanta boasts six of the nation’s top 20 suburbs for renters

There’s no better mark of a world-class metropolis than a rim of sought-after suburbs wrapped around it.

Well, maybe not.

But if that metric is any indication of which metro cities are most coveted by renters, Atlanta’s dominating the rest of the country, according to a new report by RentCafé.

The findings could also be a reflection of how fast each respective, suburban place is growing. Or how dramatically renters are being priced out of intown Atlanta.

According to the rental comparison site’s research—based on Census and Yardi Matrix data from 2011 to 2016—metro Atlanta counts six of the nation’s 20 most popular suburbs for renters right now.

On the northeast side of the ITP area, Chamblee takes the cake on RentCafé’s list of top trending suburban cities, having witnessed its renter population balloon by 156 percent between 2011 and 2016.

In 2016, when Chamblee’s total population teetered around 29,000 people, about 19,400 of them were renters, while just 8,400 owned homes, according to the report.

Chamblee also saw average rents increase by 44 percent—or $429—during that period.

A groundswell of new Chamblee rental options is surely a factor. And MARTA access to Atlanta proper certainly doesn’t diminish the city’s desirability for renters.

Then again, the fast-densifying north Atlanta suburb is far from dirt cheap, with average rents estimated at $1,413.

To put that in perspective, the City of Atlanta’s mean rent price, according to RentCafé, is $1,423.

RentCafe

Clocking in at a close second, Norcross’s renter population boomed 148 percent and watched rent prices jump 38 percent.

The bronze went to Flower Mound, Texas, a suburb of Dallas that saw its renter community grow by 115 percent during the five-year period.

Three more metro Atlanta cities were counted in the top 10, with Clarkston (No. 5) showing a 97 percent increase, Johns Creek (6) a 79 percent increase, and Lilburn (10) a 67 percent increase in renter numbers.

On the southside, Jonesboro made its mark at No. 15, with a renter population spike of 66 percent.

• Top Trending Suburbs That Have Seen the Biggest Boom in Renters [RentCafé]