There are several factors that contribute to how well a city's rental market will perform and continue to grow. And one of the most important metrics governing the ability to keep pushing rents is local job growth statistics.
The latest data from Dallas-based Axiometrics shows just how important job growth is when it comes to increasing occupancy and rent rates. Each of the five cities that are top market performers had higher than 95 percent occupancy rates year-to-date, through the end of April. And each of the bottom five cities were in the 91 to 93 percent range for that same period.
| Metro Area | April 2012 YTD Rent Growth | Q1 2012 Job Growth |
| Top Market Performers | ||
| San Jose | 6.2% | 2.5% |
| Seattle | 5.4% | 1.8% |
| San Francisco | 4.3% | 2.3% |
| Salt Lake City | 3.6% | 2.8% |
| Nassau | 3.4% | 0.7% |
| Bottom Market Performers | ||
| Tucson | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| Jacksonville | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Las Vegas | -0.1% | 1.3% |
| Albuquerque | -0.2% | 0.3% |
| Detroit | -0.4% | 0.4% |
