Overview of Findings

Apartment List has released Baltimore’s results from the third annual Apartment List Renter Satisfaction Survey. This survey, which drew on responses from over 45,000 renters nationwide, provides insight on what states and cities must do to meet the needs of the country’s 111 million renters.

"Baltimore renters expressed general dissatisfaction with the city overall," according to Apartment List. "Some categories received average scores, and many received below average scores."

Key Findings in Baltimore include the following:

• Baltimore renters gave their city a C overall.
• The highest-rated categories for Baltimore were public transit (B-), affordability (C+) and jobs and career opportunities (C+).
• The areas of concern to Baltimore renters are state and local taxes and safety and low crime rate, which both received scores of F.
• Baltimore millennials are unsatisfied with their city, giving it an overall rating of F.
• Baltimore earned similar scores compared to other cities in Maryland like Hyattsville (D), but earned lower marks than Silver Spring (A) and Rockville (A+).
• Baltimore did relatively poorly compared to similar cities nationwide, including Pittsburgh (B+), Charlotte (A-) and Washington, DC (A-).
• The top rated cities nationwide for renter satisfaction include Scottsdale, AZ, Irvine, CA, Boulder, CO and Ann Arbor, MI. The lowest rated cities include Tallahassee, FL, Stockton, CA, Dayton, OH, Detroit, MI and Newark, NJ.

Renters say:

• "There are lots of activities in Baltimore like sports, concerts, and museums, but the traffic and infrastructure are poor." -Kristin G.
• "I love the culture of Baltimore, but the crime rate in the city needs to be addressed." -Jasmen R.
• "I love the small-town feeling while still living in a city. It’s nice that it’s affordable, but there are some safety issues." -Marnie B.

For more information on the survey methodology and findings or to speak to one of our researchers, please contact our team at rentonomics@apartmentlist.com.