Overview of Findings
Apartment List has released Buffalo’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.
"Buffalo renters expressed general dissatisfaction with the city overall," according to Apartment List. "Interestingly, ratings for Buffalo vary widely across categories such as affordability and weather."
Key findings in Buffalo include the following:
- Buffalo renters gave their city an F overall.
- The highest-rated categories for Buffalo were affordability and commute time, which received A+ and A- grades, respectively.
- The areas of concern to Buffalo renters are weather, state and local taxes, quality of local schools and recreational activities, which all received F grades.
- Buffalo ranks low for renter satisfaction, as do nearby cities like Albany (F) and Syracuse (F).
- Buffalo did relatively poorly compared to other cities nationwide, including Boston, MA (A), Denver, CO (B+) and Austin, TX (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:
- "I enjoy the food, the sports and the festivities." – Heather H.
- "I love that we really are a city of good neighbors. Especially during the winter, we help neighbors get out of the snow and get home safely." – Aviance G.
- "Lots of lake effect snow and ice for most of winter. City is mostly made up of suburbs close to malls and entertainment." – Kalindy K.
- "I love that it’s a booming city. New restaurants and bars are opening every day and it’s cool to be part of it. I just wish we had public transportation or Uber because it makes it hard to go out with friends; someone always has to stay sober so everyone can get home safely." – Britney T.
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.
