Detroit topped the list of cities renters checking out apartments found most desirable in September. Online page views shot up by 16%, while available listings fell by 38%, according to RentCafe's latest report on rental activity nationwide. The effect was to lift Detroit's ranking from third in August to first in September – a remarkable achievement for a city once considered on the precipice of disaster.

The report said the boost was likely due to the city's efforts to revitalize its business district, affordability and emerging economic opportunities as well as a rising number of downtown apartments that attract renters.

City scores are calculated based on rental availability, the number of monthly page views, the number of listings "favorited" and saved searches reflected in RentCafe's rental listing data for the nation's 150 largest cities.