The Associated Press released an article today by Hope Yen highlighting high-tech cities who are experiencing "brain gain". The article looks at recently released census data looking at U.S. migration patterns sliced by income and education.
Several cities ranked on NGC's "Super Cities" Next Cities List released back in June were highlighted including San Francisco #1, Seattle #2, Austin #6, Portland #8, and Charlotte #12. Also mentioned was #12 Raleigh on NGC's "Midsize Magnets" list.
The article states, "During this economic downturn, young, educated professionals are heading for the high-tech 'cool' metros rather than the fast growing upstarts of the mid-decade," said William Frey, a demographer at Brookings Institution, who analyzed the data. "The investment in knowledge industries and young professional amenities in places like Austin, Raleigh and Seattle is now paying off."
When NGC works with a city we ask, "if skilled young professionals can live anywhere in the world, why should they choose your city?"
Next Cities are places with the assets and amenities that attract and keep a young, educated workforce. Think bustling city centers, walkable neighborhoods, diverse career opportunities, and a vibrant art and music scene. NGC groups these attributes into seven indexes: Vitality, Earning, Learning, After Hours, Around Town, Cost of Lifestyle and Social Capital.
The recently released census data supports NGC's work showing us investing in the right jobs and amenities that matter to the next gen can get a city ahead in the race for talent.
Learn more about NGC's Next Cities research here .
