How we rank rentals
Last updated
Our best-rentals lists all use the same scoring. Nobody can pay to be included, pay to move up, or pay to keep a competitor off a list.
Who's eligible
Each list starts with the active listings that meet its rule, such as allowing pets, renting for $1,300 or less, or being within one mile of a Metra station. The rule is printed at the top of every list.
The score (out of 100)
| Part | Points | How it's measured |
|---|---|---|
| Rent vs. area median | 50 | The asking rent compared with the U.S. Census Bureau's median gross rent (American Community Survey 5-year estimates) for the same town and bedroom count. Rent at half the median earns all 50 points; rent at 1.5 times the median earns none, on a straight line in between. |
| Listed amenities | 30 | 3 points for each amenity the landlord lists, up to 10 amenities. |
| Resident reviews | 20 | The building's average verified review score, scaled from 1–5 to 0–20. Used only when the building has at least 3 published reviews. |
When a part doesn't apply (no Census median for that bedroom count, or fewer than three reviews), we leave it out and rescale the remaining parts to 100 so listings are compared fairly. Ties go to the lower rent, then the older listing.
What never affects a ranking
- Whether a listing is Featured (paid placement). Featured listings are labeled everywhere they appear, including on these lists if they qualify on their own, and the label has no effect on rank.
- Whether a landlord advertises with us in any other way.
- Affiliate commissions. We don't earn anything based on where a listing ranks.
Limits of the method
Census medians include all rentals in a town, not just ones currently for rent, and they lag the market by a year or more. Amenity counts depend on what landlords choose to list. Distances to Metra are straight-line. We publish these limits so you can weigh the lists accordingly.
Questions or corrections: contact us.