First, let’s get this out of the way: YES, jobs matter to the next gen. But they’re (still) not the most important thing, according to our U.S. Next Cities List .
Your city’s affordability (our “Cost of Lifestyle” index) is the most important to the next gen.
What does this mean? It means that your next gen workforce is willing to settle for a crappy first (or second or third) job, as long as they can afford to pay their bills in the cities they want to live in.
Back in the day when we released our first rankings for young workers in 2001-2002, credit was easy to get and Gen Xers - who relied on themselves for job security and were not afraid of debt - would rank cities’ attributes a little differently. Not so for Millennials, who are spilling out of college during a major recession and are adapting by being the first 20’somethings in years to save money in their 20’s.
Being wallet-friendly is one reason why cities like Milwaukee and Nashville outrank cities like San Diego in the “Super Size” cities category. Some of those “Super Size” cities are loosing talent while cities in the Midsized Metro’s category are gaining. We believe that’s because Midsized Metros have enough assets and amenities to attract the next gen, without the having long commutes, expense and negatively perceieved “urban” issues.
The Millennials are not Gen X’ers on steroids; they are more budget conscious, they are more interested in security, and (of course) that impacts which cities will be “Next Cities” for our newest generation.
Here’s a list of all the Next Cities. You can get more information on the list, FAQ, the press release, etc. here .
NEXT CITIES RANKED BY POPULATION
Mighty Micros - Next Cities with 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
Midsized Magnets - Next Cities with 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
Super Cities - Next Cities with Population 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