Top 30 most competitive small rental markets in 2026

Rank Market Competitive
score 		Average vacant
days 		Occupied
apartments 		Prospective
renters 		Lease
renewal rate 		Share of
new units
1 Wichita, KS 91.0 32 95.4% 9
72.1%
 0.2%
2 Amarillo, TX 89.7 27 94.7% 8
67.1%
 0.0%
3 Lafayette, IN 88.8 35 96.2% 8
74.1%
 0.3%
4 Harrisburg, PA 88.4 42 95.6% 10
76.7%
 0.4%
5 Lehigh Valley, PA 88.3 44 95.3% 9
78.9%
 0.0%
6 South Bend, IN 88.1 33 95.6% 6
76.0%
 0.2%
7 Fayetteville, AR 85.7 25 95.3% 7
74.5%
 2.4%
8 El Paso, TX 85.6 42 94.7% 11
62.2%
 0.0%
9 Youngstown, OH 85.3 48 94.9% 9
76.9%
 0.0%
10 Providence, RI 85.2 44 95.6% 9
75.9%
 0.5%
11 Lexington, KY 85.2 41 94.1% 11
62.8%
 0.0%
12 Jackson, MS 84.5 39 93.9% 8
67.0%
 0.0%
13 Boise, ID 84.5 37 94.1% 11
55.7%
 0.0%
14 Palm Beach County, FL 84.2 43 94.0% 9
71.0%
 0.4%
15 Dayton, OH 83.1 40 94.2% 6
70.6%
 0.0%
16 Columbia, SC 82.9 40 93.4% 10
61.1%
 0.5%
17 Albany, NY 82.6 47 94.2% 9
70.3%
 0.3%
18 Rochester, NY 82.3 44 94.3% 7
73.3%
 0.2%
19 Rochester, MN 82.1 37 94.7% 6
63.1%
 0.0%
20 Columbus, GA 81.7 37 91.8% 5
71.3%
 0.0%
21 Fort Wayne, IN 80.7 39 94.9% 6
71.7%
 1.1%
22 Lubbock, TX 80.7 43 93.0% 7
64.8%
 0.0%
23 Buffalo, NY 80.2 56 93.3% 9
73.6%
 0.0%
24 Portland, ME 79.8 39 94.6% 6
63.4%
 0.0%
25 Gulfport - Biloxi, MS 79.2 42 92.8% 7
59.5%
 0.0%
26 Lafayette - Lake Charles, LA 79.1 38 92.1% 7
67.8%
 1.1%
27 Knoxville, TN 78.7 40 93.7% 7
66.4%
 1.1%
28 Fayetteville, NC 78.6 44 92.6% 6
66.5%
 0.0%
29 Albuquerque, NM 78.5 46 92.9% 7
62.3%
 0.0%
30 Augusta, GA 78.2 48 90.7% 7
68.7%
 0.0%
Data as of February 2026. All data is accurate as of the date of publication.
Source: RentCafe analysis of Yardi data
RentCafe