This North Carolina city was named the ‘roommate capital’ of the US. Here’s why
North Carolina is home to the “roommate capital” of the country, a new report finds.
Raleigh ranks No. 1 on a list of places that provide the best opportunities for shared living arrangements, according to results released Monday from StorageCafé.
And another North Carolina city isn’t far behind in the rankings.
Charlotte earned a No. 6 spot in the study, which examined rent prices, apartment space, storage rates and the portion of money people save by having a roommate, results show.
The list was released as some people in North Carolina and beyond have struggled to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic. Many companies are offering work-from-home options as the disease continues to spread.
“Pre-pandemic, location and community amenities were prioritized over living space,” StorageCafé said in a news release. “But now we see a move towards more spacious homes and places that offer accessibility to outdoor activities, while shared living is becoming more socially acceptable, motivated by affordability concerns.”
To come up with its findings, StorageCafé said it analyzed 82 U.S. cities with more than 250,000 residents. Each place was given a score based on census data and the commercial real estate tool Yardi Matrix, according to the storage facility website.
Raleigh earned the top spot in the rankings by offering roommates “the best of multiple worlds” — including opportunities to save and have more room, results show.
“The city boasts a large share of roommates (28%), and they enjoy plenty of personal space,” StorageCafé said in its report. “A roommate in a 2-bedroom apartment in Raleigh has 526 square feet of living space – that’s about the size of a 1-bedroom apartment in Honolulu.”
Further down on the list, Charlotte also got boosts for having among the highest roommate concentrations and most square footage.
“Living here as a roommate helps dwellers make consistent savings (16%) as opposed to living on their own,” StorageCafé said in its report.
So how did other major North Carolina cities fare?
Durham took the 23rd spot and Greensboro the 29th spot on the list, results show.
Overall, other cities rounding out the top five were Irvine, California, at No. 2; Lincoln, Nebraska, at No. 3; Santa Ana, California, at No. 4; and Madison, Wisconsin, at No. 5.
