As if flipping the script on the traditional American Dream, suburbs across the United States are witnessing a noticeable demographic shift; renters are starting to outnumber homeowners, a trend spearheaded by places like Glendale near Phoenix. A study from Point2Homes reported by ABC15 highlights that the Phoenix suburb of Glendale sees renters composing 42.4% of its households.
Historically synonymous with homeownership, the suburbs are being looked to for flexibility and affordability amid skyrocketing home prices, with Sun Lakes in the same region recording a significant 41.3% increase in renter households over five years. The trend is not local to Arizona alone; according to Patch, in California's sprawling suburbs, including places once emblematic of the homeowner like Huntington Beach and Escondido, more individuals are choosing the lease over the deed as a long-term lifestyle choice.
Andra Hopulele, the author of the study highlighted by Patch, emphasizes that this change is part of "a fundamental shift in how Americans live and think about housing." Suburbia is changing, and it's visible in the numbers that tell of renter-majority suburbs; 31 in the Los Angeles metro alone, with Cudahy being the standout where close to 90% of households are renters. This transition reflects deeper currents in the housing market and social complexion of America's residential landscapes, as reported by Patch.
The report shows that more people are renting in California’s suburbs. In the Riverside area, Twentynine Palms leads with 62.6% of households renting. Chino Hills added over 1,500 renter households from 2018 to 2023. In the Los Angeles area, six suburbs each added more than 1,000 renters, with Huntington Beach and West Covina seeing increases of over 1,800. This trend shows that renting in the suburbs is becoming more common across California, as per Patch.
