In the past decade, nine million Americans have become new renters, many of them in cities. Yet the average renter can afford less than 40% of the available apartments in the country's 11 largest metro areas, according to a 2016 New York University analysis.
Every year, Zillow generates a median rent index at seven geographic levels including neighborhood, zip code, city, congressional district, county, metropolitan area, state, and the country overall. Nationwide, the median rent has increased by 2.2% compared to 2015. At the city level, Zillow considers rent markets for studios, condos, single-family homes, and one to five bedroom apartments.
Here the 12 cities with the biggest change from last year.