According to a recent survey conducted by Apartment List, a renowned rental listing firm, Arlington, Virginia, emerges as one of the top places to live in the United States. This survey, which involved 18,000 renters from 100 cities, ranked Arlington third after Plano, Texas, and Boston, Massachusetts. The study aimed to delve into the preferences and satisfactions of the country's renter population, and Arlington scored A+ grades across several categories, including education, economy, and safety.
In the words of Andrew Tam, the Vice President of Data Science at Apartment List, "Arlington earned one of the best three scores in the nation with excellent grades across all categories. The U.S. renter population is at its highest level in 20 years, and Arlington clearly meets the needs of this large and highly mobile demographic." Undoubtedly, Arlington has set a high benchmark in catering to this critical populace's needs.
Notably, Arlington's safety standards received the highest acclaim from renters, with a whopping 93% expressing satisfaction or extreme satisfaction with the city's security and crime rate.
Arlington has other notable features that have won the hearts of renters. The county earned A+ grades for the daily commute experience and the availability of recreational activities. Furthermore, renters' confidence in the local economy was high, with 46% believing it is on the right path, and only 21% thinking otherwise. The city's schools and local taxes also gained positive reviews, though they received slightly lower A-minus grades.
Interestingly, about three-quarters of Arlington renters anticipate buying a home in the future, indicating the city's strong appeal for potential homeowners.
Several other suburbs in the DC area also ranked highly. Washington, DC itself secured the seventh spot, just trailing Arlington by four positions. Silver Spring and Alexandria achieved commendable ranks of 25th and 26th respectively, with grades of A- and B+.
It's important to note that living in these top-ranked cities comes with a higher cost. In the survey, Arlington was identified as the ninth most expensive city among the 100 surveyed, boasting a median rent of $2,000 for a two-bedroom home.
However, despite this higher living cost, Arlington renters are among the least cost-burdened in the country. The term "cost-burdened" is defined as spending more than 30% of one's income on rent. The survey revealed that only 40% of Arlington residents fall into this category, a striking contrast to other cities where over 65% of renters are cost-burdened. The nationwide average is slightly over 52%.
Arlington's high rankings in renter satisfaction aren't surprising. The county frequently appears on lists of the best places to live, including a second-place finish in Businessweek.com’s ranking and third place on Livability.com's Top 100 Best Places to Live.
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