This MA City Is One Of The Trendiest Rental Markets

WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester area is one of the top 30 cities to watch ahead of this year's rental season, according to RentCafe.com.

Worcester came in at No. 20, moving up 98 spots to land among the hottest markets in the country. It was the No. 2 rental market in the Northeast with Philadelphia claiming the top spot.

Boston also made gains, ranking at No. 8 in the region and No. 85 nationally.

The top three most in-demand cities are Cincinnati, Atlanta, and Minneapolis.

"In these cities, apartment searches, saved listings and favorited properties on RentCafe.com are rising months ahead of the traditional summer rush," RentCafe.com wrote.

Renter activity typically dips toward the end of the year, but the cities that made the list maintained strong engagement through the final months of last year.

See also: Spring Market Housing Forecast For MA: What Buyers, Sellers Can Expect

To create the list, RentCafe.com looked at engagement in the winter months, finding the most sought-after locations that are expected to gain momentum in the peak spring and summer months.

Here are the top 10 cities to watch ahead of the 2026 rental season:

1. Cincinnati
2. Atlanta
3. Minneapolis
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Baltimore
6. Cleveland
7. San Jose
8. Philadelphia
9. Kansas City
10. Birmingham

Check out the full study at RentCafe.com.

See also: What Will The MA Real Estate Market Look Like In 2026?