Two new data studies have identified metro areas that respectively best serve new college graduates looking for their first rental housing and for households seeking to raise their children.
Realtor.com released its 2025 list of the Top Rental Markets for Recent College Grads, with the Texas capital of Austin topping the list. Austin – which recently became Realtor.com’s new headquarters city – was praised for having the lowest rent-to-income ratio (18.9%). The next two cities with the lowest rent-to-income ratios are Minneapolis (19.7%) and Raleigh, North Carolina (20.0%). Realtor.com noted that graduates in the list’s top 10 markets spend 21.5% of their income on rent, below the national average and within the 30% affordability benchmark. The report also highlighted Atlanta and Overland Park, Kansas, for leading the nation in vacancy rates over 9%, thus giving new renters more options and bargaining power.
“This year’s rankings reflect a rental landscape shaped by falling rents and potentially shifting job markets,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. “We looked at where young people can launch their careers without sacrificing lifestyle, and the results include a mix of markets from Texas to Minnesota to Georgia. These markets aren’t just affordable areas with relatively more abundant rental options, they’re full of energy, opportunity, and a sense of community, everything a recent grad could want.”
Separately, WalletHub’s report on 2025’s Best & Worst Places to Raise a Family compared more than 180 cities across 45 key metrics including housing affordability, school system quality and the unemployment rate. The report considered Fremont, California, as the best city for families thanks to having “one of the highest median family incomes after adjusting for the cost of living, at close to $130,000, and it has the third-lowest share of families living in poverty as well as the third-lowest share receiving food stamps. In addition, nearly 50% of families in Fremont have children under age 18, one of the highest rates in the country.”
Overland Park, Kansas, ranked second in the WalletHub report, followed by Plano, Texas; Irvine, California; and South Burlington, Vermont. At the other end of the spectrum, the report said the worst cities for families were Memphis; Detroit; Cleveland; Gulfport, Mississippi; and Newark, New Jersey.
“Finding the best place to raise a family is difficult, between balancing an affordable cost of living with good educational opportunities, safety and enough recreation to keep kids entertained,” said Chip Lupo, WalletHub analyst. “On top of all of these factors, people also often want to raise their children close to their extended family. Therefore, current or prospective parents can benefit from narrowing down their choices to a few of the best cities that are within a reasonable drive of their family.”
