Overview of Findings
Apartment List has released Detroit’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.
"Detroit renters expressed general dissatisfaction with the city overall," according to Apartment List. "They gave most categories below average scores."
Key Findings in Detroit include the following:
- Detroit renters gave their city an F overall.
- The highest-rated categories for Detroit were affordability (C+), public transit (C) and state and local taxes (C).
- The areas of concern to Detroit renters are quality of local schools, jobs and career opportunities, and safety and low crime rates, which all received scores of F.
- Detroit did relatively poorly compared to other Rust Belt cities like Milwaukee (B-), Cleveland (C) and Pittsburgh (B+).
- Detroit earned similar scores compared to other cities nationwide like Reno (F), Newark (F), Tucson (D) and Tulsa (D).
- 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:
- "I love the new downtown." -Howard N.
- "Crime rates are too high." -Anon.
- "Detroit is on the up-and-up, but safety is still a concern. I like that I can walk to local shops, but unfortunately public transportation is unreliable." -Emelia M.
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.
