Traditionally, the younger generation hasn’t always been a fan of suburbs — which is understandable. What Gen Zer wants to live in the sedate ‘burbs away from the lively vibe of the big city? C’mon, what Zoomer wants a visit from Progressive Insurance’s Dr. Rick, the man who’ll save them from becoming their parents?
Well, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, that suburb-snubbing trend is being bucked by Generation Z. Zoomers actually prefer Texas suburbs over the larger cities, according to a RENTCafé study.
Two D-FW suburbs top the list of up-and-coming cities for Gen Z renters in Texas based on rental applications. Gen Z rental applications have increased 37 percent in Irving, 35 percent in Lewisville, and 27 percent in Grand Prairie.
Irving, which can thank Las Colinas as a technology hub that can attract Gen Z renters (a generation of people born from 1997-2012), saw an increase of 17 percent over 2021 and 23 percent over 2020.
Dallas had a 27 percent rise in Gen Z rental applications. Richardson was up 25 percent and Arlington 24 percent.
Nationally, San Francisco was the top trending city for Gen Z renters with a 101 percent change. Obviously, the tech industry of Silicon Valley contributed to that gain.
RENTCafé also listed the top Texas cities with the largest share of Gen Z renters, and Denton topped the list and ranked 10th nationally.
Denton is home to two universities — the University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University, which have a combined enrollment of more than 55,000 students. In its study, RENTCafé acknowledged college towns with students or recent graduates as contributing to the large share of Gen Z renters.
“A college town needs a diverse offering of jobs, particularly good-paying entry-level jobs,” Nicholas P. Dempsey, associated professor of sociology at Eckerd College, said in the report.
“Further, towns with more amenities, which can include anything from access to wilderness parks to diverse options for dining and entertainment, are more attractive to young renters.”
Denton certainly fits that bill. Chances are, you won’t get a visit from Dr. Rick.
Report review: RENTCafé’s rental application data was sourced from RentGrow, Inc. and was received wholly anonymized and aggregated. It’s a fun review and a worthy rabbit hole to dive into. 🐇
