It appears Charm City has charmed many members of Generation Z as Baltimore ranked 16th among cities that saw the greatest rise in “Gen Z” renters in 2021, according to a study by apartment search and rental payment platform RentCafe.
RentCafe analyzed 3.2 million rental applications from January-October 2021 and January-October 2020, sourced from RentGrow Inc. Gen Z is defined as people born between 1997 and 2012.
The study found Baltimore experienced a 35% increase in the percentage of “Zoomers” who moved into a new apartment in 2021.
Gen Z accounted for 29% of Baltimore’s renters in 2021, an increase from 21% in 2020.
Glen Burnie, Maryland, located to Baltimore’s south, saw a 33% increase in its percentage of Gen Z renters, earning it a 19th place ranking.
In 2021, Zoomers accounted for 24% of Glen Burnie’s renters. That’s up from 18% in 2020.
Across Maryland, rental applications by Gen Z apartment seekers rose by 26%. About a quarter of Maryland renters are Zoomers, while about half are Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996.
Nationwide, the share of Zoomers seeking apartments increased by 21%. Meanwhile, there was a decline in the share of Millenials (8% decrease); Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980 (2% decrease); and Baby Boomers and other generations born before 1965 (5% decrease).
San Francisco, California saw the largest increase of Gen Z apartment seekers, from 11% in 2020 to 21% in 2021 – a 101% increase.
Despite their notable increases in their respective shares of Zoomer renters, neither Baltimore nor Glen Burnie made it into the top 20 cities for total percentage of Gen Z renters. Davis, California topped that list, with 69% of renters being Gen Z.
