RealPage economists have picked several apartment markets that it expected would perform well in 2024, earlier this year. Those markets included Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and New York. At the halfway point of the year, the firm took a look at its picks to see how they are doing.

RealPage's picks shared a common theme – limited supply pipelines. That kept many of its top markets ahead of the pack six months into the year. Strong demand is also bolstering Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Chicago, all of which have seen rent growth well ahead of the national average.

San Jose and Washington, D.C., which RealPage predicted would show surprising upside at the start of the year, also have experienced rent growth outpacing national norms. San Jose may be on the cusp of re-securing some job growth due to AI-driven tech improvement, and migration flowing back into the nation's capital has helped support revenue growth, said RealPage.