Overview of Findings
Apartment List has released Fairfax’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.
"Fairfax 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 Fairfax, some aspects can be better."
Key findings in Fairfax include the following:
- Fairfax renters gave their city a B overall.
- The highest-rated categories for Fairfax were jobs and career opportunities, safety and low crime rate and quality of local schools, which all received A+ grades.
- The areas of concern to Fairfax renters are commute time and state and local taxes, which both received F grades.
- Fairfax ranks high for renter satisfaction, as do Arlington, VA (A) and Alexandria (A).
- Fairfax earned similar scores to other cities nationwide, including Portland, OR (B), Atlanta, GA (B) and Dallas, TX (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:
- "Great place to start a family and live a comfortable life. Fairfax has tons of restaurants, theaters and events. If you want a more exciting life, Washington, DC is only 20 to 30 minutes away." – Anon.
- "Love the schools, entertainment and career opportunities. Hate the cost of living and the traffic." – Tim W.
- "Very expensive, but clean and safe." – Carolina A.
- "The schools and parks are wonderful. There are plenty of trails to wander. The area and surrounding cities are not very affordable, but it beats commuting an hour or more to work." - Shannon
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.