Region · Census West South Central division · South
West South Central rental markets
Texas and the south-central states. 4 states and 574 ranked cities, summarized by the median Overall across those cities.
The honest read
West South Central ranks #3 of 9 U.S. regions for rental investing, with a median Overall of 51.6/100 across its ranked cities, above the national median. 4 states make up this division. Its strongest factor is job growth: 1.8%, 1st of 9, backed by population growth (2nd).
The biggest drag is rent growth: 2.7%, 9th of 9. A region grade is the median of its ranked cities, a screen for where to look, not underwriting. Open any city below for its full shown-math breakdown, or run a specific deal through the cap rate and cash-flow calculators.
Where it ranks, factor by factor
Every value is the median across the 574 ranked cities in this region. The national rank compares all 9 regions on that one factor; the engine already flips inverted factors (affordability, low unemployment) so a better rank always means a better market. Each factor sits in one of the model’s three categories (Cash Flow, Growth, or Stability); this is a representative summary, and the full thirteen-factor breakdown is on each city’s page. Full methodology.
| Factor | Category | Region value | National rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross rent yield | Cash Flow | 6.7% | #3 of 9 |
| Rent growth | Growth | 2.7% | #9 of 9 |
| Home value growth | Growth | 2.0% | #9 of 9 |
| Population growth | Growth | 1.2% | #2 of 9 |
| Job growth | Growth | 1.8% | #1 of 9 |
| Price-to-income | Cash Flow | 3.9× | #3 of 9 |
| Unemployment | Stability | 4.1% | #5 of 9 |
| Rental demand | Stability | 43% renters · 7.6% vacancy | two-part measure |
| Income growth | Growth | 4.6% | #8 of 9 |
States in the West South Central division
Ordered by median Overall across each state's ranked cities. A public rank appears only for states that clear the 20-city and 10-county coverage threshold.
Top 25 cities in the West South Central division
The 25 highest-ranked of its 574 ranked cities, in national order. Every city links to its full shown-math breakdown; all 574 are in the market explorer.
| Div rank | City | Grade | Cash Flow | Growth | Stability | Typical home value | Gross yield | National rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 med | Wagoner OK | 82 | A | B | A | $188,500 | 7.0% ACS | #4 |
| 2 | Gonzales LA | 80 | B | A | A | $293,095 | 6.4% | #6 |
| 3 | Siloam Springs AR | 79 | B | A | A | $286,720 | 5.8% | #10 |
| 4 | Lowell AR | 79 | B | A | B | $354,791 | 6.8% | #12 |
| 5 | Carencro LA | 77 | A | A | B | $220,606 | 6.5% | #19 |
| 6 | Bella Vista AR | 77 | B | A | B | $359,421 | 6.1% | #22 |
| 7 | Pea Ridge AR | 77 | B | A | B | $344,927 | 5.8% | #25 |
| 8 | Centerton AR | 77 | B | A | B | $347,714 | 5.5% | #26 |
| 9 | Hutto TX | 77 | B | A | B | $329,693 | 6.4% | #28 |
| 10 med | Catoosa OK | 76 | A | B | B | $237,386 | 7.2% ACS | #34 |
| 11 | Chickasha OK | 75 | A | B | C | $158,142 | 9.5% | #44 |
| 12 | Bryant AR | 75 | A | B | B | $256,515 | 7.6% | #45 |
| 13 | Farmington AR | 74 | B | A | C | $337,020 | 5.9% | #47 |
| 14 | Glenpool OK | 74 | A | B | B | $243,772 | 7.2% | #51 |
| 15 | El Reno OK | 74 | A | A | C | $184,951 | 8.6% | #55 |
| 16 | Bixby OK | 74 | A | B | B | $333,727 | 7.0% | #56 |
| 17 | Newcastle OK | 74 | A | B | C | $291,315 | 6.9% | #59 |
| 18 med | Verdigris OK | 73 | B | B | B | $229,100 ACS | 6.0% ACS | #62 |
| 19 | Little Elm TX | 73 | B | B | B | $393,657 | 7.0% | #63 |
| 20 med | Purcell OK | 73 | B | B | B | $226,254 | 6.1% ACS | #64 |
| 21 | Collinsville OK | 73 | A | B | C | $285,683 | 6.8% | #66 |
| 22 | Jenks OK | 73 | B | B | B | $355,103 | 6.3% | #71 |
| 23 | Broussard LA | 73 | A | B | C | $281,573 | 6.8% | #73 |
| 24 med | Addis LA | 73 | A | B | C | $245,860 | 6.2% ACS | #75 |
| 25 | Lavon TX | 73 | A | A | C | $340,960 | 7.4% | #81 |
Figures marked ACS come from the Census American Community Survey (5-year, 2020–2024), because Zillow publishes no index for that city: an ACS home value is the owner-reported median, and an ACS yield is the median gross rent over that median. 5 of the 25 cities shown carry one.
Data as of: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI through the latest monthly release · Census ACS 5-yr 2020–2024 · Census PEP July 2025 · BLS LAUS county 2025 annual (11-month average). Generated 2026-10-06. Methodology & limitations · underwrite any specific deal with the free calculators.