Overview of Findings
Apartment List has released Columbia’s results from the third annual Apartment List Renter Satisfaction Survey. This survey, which drew on responses from over 45,000 renters, provides insight on what states and cities must do to meet the needs of 111 million American renters nationwide.
"Columbia renters expressed general satisfaction with the city overall," according to Apartment List. "However, ratings varied greatly across different categories, indicating that even though renters love Columbia, some aspects can be better."
Key findings in Columbia include the following:
- Columbia renters gave their city a B- overall.
- The highest-rated categories for Columbia were affordability, state and local taxes, and the quality of local schools, which all received A grades.
- The areas of concern to Columbia renters are recreational activities (D) and public transit (C).
- Millennial renters are very satisfied with their city, giving it an overall rating of A-.
- Columbia did relatively poorly compared to other cities in South Carolina, including Charleston (A+), Greenville (A+) and Myrtle Beach (A+).
- Columbia did relatively poorly compared to other cities nationwide, including Denver, CO (B+), Austin, TX (A-) and Seattle, WA (B+).
- 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:
- "It’s a beautiful city. Easy commuting access from highways. The only thing I don’t like is the erratic weather: you never know when to put your summer clothes away!" – Leandra E.
- "Love the people, but rent is expensive." – Helen S.
- "I like the weather, the convenience of local shopping, and the friendly, kind people here." – Sheila B.
- "I love the activities but the cost of living is high compared to pay. Safe, nice places are either really expensive or far from downtown." – Jiani H.
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.
