For the second-straight year, McKinney is the top United States city for renters, according to an annual report from RentCafe.

The rental site ranked 150 cities based on three main metrics: Housing and cost of living (including apartment occupancy, share of renter-occupied households, share of luxury apartments and market competitiveness), local economy (including unemployment rate, job growth and business applications) and quality of life (including school ratings, commute lengths, natural amenities and air quality).

In addition to ranking third for cost-of-living and housing and ninth for quality of life, McKinney has a large share of high-end apartments and saw a 35.9% increase in renter household incomes from 2019 to 2024.

The city also has 106 parks with over 3,000 acres of open space, plus over 80 miles of walking and biking trails. Residents with families additionally have access to highly rated schools.

“Southern cities have consistently delivered a combination of lower living costs, expanding rental stock and fast-growing local economies that other regions struggle to match at scale,” said Florin Petrut, writer and research analyst for RentCafe. “Cities like McKinney, Huntsville [Alabama] and Austin show that renters don’t have to sacrifice quality of life or affordability and that economic opportunity in the South extends well beyond a handful of major metros.”