Michigan’s Home to the Worst City in America for Renters

A new study has determined that Michigan is home to the worst city in America for renters.

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How Were America's Worst Cities for Renters Determined?

WalletHub compared data from 182 of the largest cities in the United States regarding rental market and affordability as well as quality of life, looking for the best and worst places for Americans to rent apartments, condos, or houses.

In relation to a city's rental market and affordability, researchers specifically looked at:

• the share of renters among all occupied homes in a market;
• its rental vacancy rate;
• whether subletting is permissible under local law;
• the average home square footage;
• its share of newer homes (housing units built between 2010 and 2021);
• rental affordability (a market's median gross rent divided by its median annual household income;
• its share of apartment "Community Pillar" listings (landlords who have agreed to relax their standard tenant screening process in order to help applicants with potential rental barriers—such as low incomes, spotty credit scores, unemployment, or lack of housing references so that more applicants are able to obtain housing);
• historical rental-price changes since 2021;
• its share of severely cost-burdened renter households (defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as consumers who spend at least 50% of their income on housing);
• the average annual renters-insurance premium;
• the market's rent-to-price ratio;
• the market's cost of living;
• and its allowable security deposit limit as determined by state or local law.

Quality of life metrics used for each measured city include:

• the city's score on the City Satisfaction Index (based on Sharecare’s Well-Being “Community” Index Score in reference to residents liking where they live, feeling safe and having pride in their community);
• its job market;
• driver-friendliness;
• recreation-friendliness;
• weather;
• the quality of its public school system;
• safety (its violent- and property-crime rates);
• and whether or not there are state bedbug laws.

RELATED: This Michigan City Ranks Among the Worst in America to Find a Job

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for renters; and a score of 0 representing the worst.

These are the ten worst cities in America for renters in 2023, according to WalletHub.