Arizona cities sweep top spots in national rental market rankings

The Valley dominated a new national study of rental markets, with Scottsdale claiming the No. 1 spot and two East Valley cities rounding out the top three.

WalletHub’s Best & Worst Places to Rent in America ranked Scottsdale first among 182 cities nationwide, followed by Gilbert at No. 2 and Chandler at No. 3.

In all, eight Arizona cities landed in the top 25, including Peoria at No. 6, Mesa at No. 16, Glendale at No. 17, Phoenix at No. 19 and Tempe at No. 25. Tucson ranked 44th.

How were rental markets ranked?

The study compared cities across 21 measures of rental affordability and quality of life using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow and the FBI.

Scottsdale earned the top overall ranking largely on quality-of-life factors, finishing first nationally for job availability and driving conditions. The city was also helped by weather and plenty of things to do. Renters there spend about 22% of annual income on housing, and the average home offers 2,179 square feet.

Gilbert drew praise for its public schools, low crime rate and spacious rentals averaging 2,101 square feet. Chandler ranked fifth nationally for quality of life, with renters spending about 21% of income on rent.

Arizona’s state-level laws addressing bedbug infestations in rental properties gave all of the state’s cities an added boost in the rankings.

Detroit finished last overall on the list.

Some 46 million American households nationwide rent rather than own, according to WalletHub.

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