Where are the Best Cities in the U.S. for Next Gen Workers?

(March 13, 2009, Madison, WI) The next generation of knowledge workers is fickle about where they live. They want a good job in a great city. Today, Next Generation Consulting announced its “Next Cities” rankings - the best places to live and work for young professionals - in three population categories.

Next Cities, population of 100,000-200,000

1. Fort Collins, Colorado

2. Charleston, South Carolina

3. Eugene, Oregon

4. Cedar Rapids, Iowa

5. Springfield, Illinois

6. Cary, North Carolina

7. Ann Arbor, Michigan

8. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

9. Pueblo, Colorado

10. Gainesville, Florida

11. Stamford, Connecticut

12. Des Moines, Iowa

13. Spokane, Washington

14. Syracuse, New York

15. Huntsville, Alabama

16. Peoria, Illinois

17. Springfield, Missouri

18. Salt Lake City, Utah

19. Richmond, Virginia

20. Hampton, Virginia

Next Cities, population of 200,000-500,000

1. Madison, Wisconsin
2. Minneapolis, Minnesota
3. Colorado Springs, Colorado
4. Atlanta, Georgia
5. St. Paul, Minnesota
6. Omaha, Nebraska
7. Cincinnati, Ohio
8. Boise, Idaho
9. Durham, North Carolina
10. New Orleans, Louisiana
11. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
12. Raleigh, North Carolina
13. Lexington, Kentucky
14. Virginia Beach, Virginia
15. Lincoln, Nebraska
16. Lubbock, Texas
17. Reno, Nevada
18. Norfolk, Virginia
19. St. Louis, Missouri
20. Orlando, Florida

Next Cities, population of over 500,000

1. San Francisco, California
2. Seattle, Washington
3. Boston, Massachusetts
4. Washington, District of Columbia
5. Denver, Colorado
6. Austin, Texas
7. Baltimore, Maryland
8. Portland, Oregon
9. New York City, New York
10. Columbus, Ohio
11. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
12. Charlotte, North Carolina
13. Chicago, Illinois
14. Nashville, Tennessee
15. Jacksonville, Florida
16. Tucson, Arizona
17. San Antonio, Texas
18. Los Angeles, California
19. San Diego, California
20. Houston, Texas

Next Generation Consulting (NGC) has been studying the city and workplace preferences of the next generation since 1998. The Next City rankings were tabulated by NGC research analysts Margaret Leaf and Marty Honisch who collected and ranked 45 measures for all U.S. cities with over 100,000 people. The metrics are categorized into seven indexes that the next generation uses to evaluate where they’ll live. They are: Vitality, Earning, Learning, After Hours, Cost of Lifestyle, Around Town and Social Capital. The rankings announced today are based on a city’s total score in all seven indexes.

Asked about his analysis of the rankings, Honisch replied, “A city’s goal should not be to make the rankings. The goal should be to offer a well-rounded city experience that includes all seven of the indexes.” In fact, cities that offer good all-around scores were favored in the rankings. “Simply being the cheapest place to live, or the one with the most to do after hours, is not a talent strategy,” remarks Molly Foley , who’s helped numerous cities with their workforce strategies.

Later this year, NGC will announce Canada’s Next Cities list.

For more information about Next Cities, including a description of each of the seven indexes, click here or email .

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