New York, Los Angeles + San Francisco Most Popular Cities Among College Graduates
Two-thirds of college educated adults ages 25 to 34 first decide where to live and then where to work, a study by the group CEOs for Cities found. New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego scored highest among young workers.
Key findings included:
- Two-thirds of college-educated 25 to 34 year-olds choose place before job, and this preference was true across all life stages and genders (male, female, single, married, with children, without children).
- Women place greater emphasis on the location decision than do men, although a majority of men also say they choose place before job.
- Basic quality of life issues (clean and attractive, can live the life I want to lead, safe streets and neighborhoods, can afford to buy a home, lots of parks and green space) ranked highest among attributes that young people looked for in a city.
- A place that feels welcoming, offers professional opportunities, has reasonable commute times, access to excellent schools, is a great place to raise children and is a place people are proud to say they live in were among attributes young adults looked for in a city.
- Lifestyle attributes are also important to this demographic. They prefer places where they can connect with others and have meaningful social interactions, that are interesting and diverse and are environmentally responsible.
- Young adults have a strong inclination to live downtown or close to downtown.
- Knowledge of city attributes is limited. When asked where they would like to live, respondents were quick to answer. But when asked why, their reasons were vague.
- Young adults rely most heavily on personal stories from friends and family to form their perceptions about a place. They also use the Internet and personal visits to shape their opinions.
