Rental Searches Shed Light on Where People Want to Move

A new report from Apartment List used search data from apartment hunters to see what locational shifts might be occurring. The findings suggest that renters considering moves are less interested in picking up and relocating to faraway places.

"While about 22 percent of Bay Area renters are peeking at Seattle, Denver, New York, and Austin, mostly, people based in San Francisco want to move somewhere nearby in California, like San Jose or Sacramento, which offer similar employment opportunities and lifestyles," writes Sarah Holder.

Renters throughout California and in cities in other states indicated a similar desire to stay closer to their present locations, possibly reflecting interest in moving further out to an area where housing is more affordable, says Holder. And some cities are drawing new outside residents, with Denver, Baltimore, and San Diego topping the list.