Despite Renter Demand, Parking Amenities Are Still Very Rare in Apartment Buildings

Not everyone owns a home with a two-car garage, but the vast majority of Americans drive. Even if they rent a tiny apartment, they want parking perks, too. 

An Apartments.com survey of U.S. renters finds that more than 2 in 5 (42%) renters say they consider off-street parking or garages a must-have when picking a new apartment, the third-most popular amenity after air conditioning and in-unit laundry. That makes off-street parking and garages a bigger draw than balconies and patios, pools, elevators, fitness centers, and walk-in closets.

But our analysis of rental listings across the U.S. shows that nearly all rentals offer off-street parking, but it's typically a paved lot. Despite the demand, the vast majority of rentals in every U.S. metro still don't offer amenities like garages or EV chargers.

Our analysis of millions of units shows where extra parking amenities are relatively plentiful, and where renters may need to hunt for the perfect place to park their ride. 

Key Takeaways

• 42% of renters say they consider off-street parking or garages a must-have when picking a new apartment. 
• Green Bay, Wisconsin, leads the nation in garage availability: 47% of rentals in Green Bay offer parking garages. But that means that at least 53% of rentals in the U.S. don't offer them. 
• Only 27% of rentals in Austin offer EV chargers, but that makes it the No. 1 city in the country.

Secure Parking Garages Are Rare Outside the Upper Midwest

Parking garages can be an appealing amenity for many people, because they can offer:

• Safety measures, like lights and gated entries
• Extra parking in dense urban areas
• Elevators and other accessibility options for people who struggle to cross large parking lots
• Protection for drivers and cars from exposure to the elements

But even though demand is high, they're also expensive for developers to build. Garages tend to be more common in extra-cold Upper Midwest cities, where potential cost is trumped by the practical need for renters to protect their cars (and themselves) from snow and cold temperatures. At least 40% of rentals offer garages in: 

• Green Bay, Wisconsin
• Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin
• Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
• Duluth, Minnesota 

Specifically, nearly half (47%) of Green Bay rentals offer garage parking, the highest percentage of any metro in the nation. 

But that means 53% of rentals don't offer garages across the U.S., even if they might make sense for local car-centric communities or dense urban areas that could benefit from saving space. 

Overall, only 10% of rentals in the average U.S. city offer garage parking. 

Garages are particularly uncommon in smaller, warm Southern cities, like Jackson, Mississippi, and Roanoke, Virginia, even though these cities are very car-centric.  

If you still really want a garage, it will cost you. Garages in the bottom cities in our list tend to be exclusive to pricey apartment buildings or single-family rental homes, which are a popular option in cities with more affordable housing. For example, a one-bedroom apartment with a garage can cost more than $1,700 in Jackson, which is $700 more than the average one-bedroom in the city. 

Tesla's Home City Offers EV Chargers, but That's Not Where They're Needed Most

Renters with an electric vehicle will struggle, too, because the vast majority of American apartments don't offer EV charging stations. 

As more Americans buy electric vehicles, charging isn't available where people need it the most.  EV charging is relatively rare at California rentals, even though California has far more EVs (more than 1 million, to be exact) than any other state. But major California cities lag behind smaller markets like Asheville, North Carolina, and Orlando, Florida, in EV charging availability. For example, 21% of rentals in San Francisco and 15% of rentals in Los Angeles offer EV charging.

There are only 15 metro areas in the U.S. where at least 20% of rentals include EV charging. Austin, the home of Tesla and major tech hub, clearly benefits from having Tesla nearby, because more rentals there offer EV charging stations than any other city. Still, they're only offered in 27% of apartments. Many of those rentals are in the outskirts of the city, closer to the Texas Tesla Gigafactory.

As of this publication, five U.S. cities have no rentals with EV charging whatsoever: New York; Anchorage, Alaska; Erie County, New York; Youngstown/Warren, Ohio; and Brownsville/Harlingen, Texas. 

Demand is too low to justify offering EV chargers in some of these areas. There are very few registered EVs in Alaska and New York City has fewer drivers than the rest of the country, but Texas and New York state still have many EV drivers. 

Without charging available at home, renters will have to use public charging stations and carefully plan when to charge and use their cars. New York City has acknowledged that it's difficult to charge an EV in the city, so the city Department of Transportation is working with partners like Con Edison, the local utility provider, to provide more charging stations in all five boroughs. 

If Your City Offers Parking Amenities, Apartments.com Can Help You Find Them

Extra parking amenities are rare and tend to be reserved for newer apartment communities with higher monthly rents. But some luxury amenities are worth the cost, like valet parking, garages, car washing, storage lockers, bike storage and maintenance hubs, and dog wash stations. These parking amenities can be what sets an apartment community apart in a hot rental market. 

If you're looking for the perfect apartment to protect your ride, Apartments.com can help. We have the latest, up-to-date listings on rentals across the country with highly customizable filters to help you find the perfect apartment for your situation, no matter if you need a short commute or luxury amenities.

Methodology

Apartments.com surveyed 14,066 U.S. renters about how parking amenities affect their apartment search and leasing decisions. Survey responses were used to provide additional context around renter preferences and challenges related to parking amenities.

Apartments.com also analyzed proprietary rental listing data in all 50 U.S. states to identify the metropolitan areas with the highest and lowest availability of garage parking and electric vehicle charging stations. Data was retrieved in May 2026 and is accurate as of that date.