A recent study by CommercialCafe, a real estate listing service owned by the data firm Yardi Matrix, ranked the best cities suited for people ages 18 to 25 — better known as Generation Z.
Each of the 45 cities were scored on the following indexes:
- Unemployment rate
- Internet speed
- Affordability
- Number of parks
- Educational enrollment
- Population of Gen Zers
- Recreational and dining establishments
- Public transportation availability
Overall, the majority of the best cities for this generation are concentrated in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southwest.
No. 1 best U.S. city for Gen Zers: Atlanta, GA
Total score: 66.86
Atlanta scored the highest in affordability, low unemployment and education amongst Gen Zers.
According to Commerical Cafe, 9.8% of Atlanta's population are 18 to 25-years-old.
The city also had the largest numbers of parks per 10,000 residents.
Top 10 best cities for Gen Zers
- Atlanta, GA
- Minneapolis, MN
- Boston, MA
- Tucson, AZ
- Raleigh, NC
- Columbus, OH
- Seattle, WA
- Austin, TX
- El Paso, TX
- New York, NY
Minneapolis, the No. 2 city on the list, scored 63.8 points and had the third-highest percentage of Gen Zers and school enrollment for that population.
According to the study, a booming co-working scene in the city makes it a great contender for telecommuters and freelancers.
Boston rounded out the top three with a score of 63.2.
The Massachusetts city had the highest enrollment of Gen Z in schools and ranked third in its options for public transportation.
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