Texas, among other warmer metros, a top spot for younger renters.

Generation Z renters are growing, and have been over the past half-decade. The Gen Z renter cohort has grown sixfold to a total of 4.4 million renters in the U.S., according to RentCafe.

Birmingham, Ala., topped the list with the highest growth factor, 13-fold from roughly 1,700 renter households in 2018 to nearly 24,000 Gen Z renter households in 2023. New York City remained the top metro for Gen Z renters five years later.

Meanwhile, San Jose, Calif., had the highest share of Gen Z renter households at nearly 95%. Many other top renter metros surrounded universities and colleges like Gainesville, Fla., Austin, Texas, Fort Collins, Colo., and Ann Arbor, Mich.