Austin and Round Rock are duking it in a national top 10 list best cities for renters.
Round Rock was deemed the No. 6 best city for renters in a new report by online apartment rental marketplace RentCafe, out of a total 136 American cities. The North Austin suburb's total population is just under 118,000 people, with the average renter's income at $62,293 a year. A renter's average apartment size is around 911 square feet, which is similar to other cities outside Central Texas. Luxury apartments make up a surprising 75 percent of all units in Round Rock, in another blow to Austin.
Austin still fared well in the report, ranking right after Round Rock in No. 7. Austin's average apartment size is 862 square feet, with the average renter bringing in $58,056 a year in income. 65 percent of apartments in the city are high-end, and 20 percent of all Austin apartment buildings were constructed within the last five years.
"[Austin] boasts a remarkable surge in job prospects, one of the highest shares of high-end apartments in the nation and lots of apartments nestled in prime locations," according to the report.
The top 10 was dominated by Texas cities, with North Dallas suburb of Plano ranking as the second-best city, and Conroe earning No. 9.
The other top 10 cities on the list are Charleston, South Carolina (No. 1); Scottsdale, Arizona (No. 3); Atlanta, Georgia (No. 4); Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 5); Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 8); and Arlington, Virginia (No. 10).
RentCafe used data from sister site Yardi Matrix to determine each city's ranking among three major categories: cost of living and housing, the local economy, and quality of life. Cities were chosen if they had an "apartment stock" of a minimum of 10,000 units, and any cities with lower apartment stocks were excluded.
