MA Renters Are Frequently On The Move, New Research Shows

MASSACHUSETTS — Though a chunk of renters in Massachusetts find themselves on the move fairly frequently, they don't match up with renters in the Southeast, officials said.

Nationwide, 38 percent of renters move within two years, with Austin leading the pack at 54 percent.

In Boston, 38 percent of renters move within two years.

While Boston’s renter population decreased slightly, 3 percent, the metro also added 4.5 percent more apartments, giving locals a slight increase in flexibility to find new homes in one of the nation’s most competitive rental markets.

In Worcester, 32 percent of renters move within two years, reflecting a steady rise in hyper-mobile renters at 8.5 percent.

In the metro, more people are renting, suggesting a growing market where people are still willing to move to a different apartment when a better option appears, experts said.

Apartment construction rose 6 percent, helping supply keep pace with increasing demand.

In contrast, Springfield renters are moving less frequently and staying in their apartments longer.

Only 27 percent relocate within two years, marking a notable decline in renter mobility over a five-year period, 15 percent.

This was also influenced by the fact that fewer people are renting now, experts said, and new construction has slowed to a crawl, limiting opportunities to switch apartments and reinforcing the metro’s more stable, slower-paced rental landscape.

On a regional level, the Southeast dominates the list of most move-easy metros. No Northeastern metro made the top 30 move-easy list — likely due to the fact that the region’s tight housing supply keeps renters in place longer once they find a home that fits their needs, experts said.

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