GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the American Institute for Economic Research ranked American cities by the attributes that are most attractive to young college graduates.
Among the 260 metro areas that made up this ranking, those that ranked highest in each size category were Washington D.C.; San José, California; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Iowa City, Iowa.
The second annual Employment Destinations Index includes an interactive tool that allows users to create their own ranking based on what matters most to them.
The report is based on AIER research exploring the factors that influenced migration patterns of college grads ages 22-35. The top factor was having a young, well-educated population. “The young and well-educated are moving to places where they’ll find a big contingent of the population that share these characteristics,” according to the co-author, Amanda Knarr, program coordinator at AIER.
The other important factors were a strong economic climate, including a low unemployment rate and a high labor force participation rate, as well as racial and ethnic diversity.
The top-ranked major metropolitan area was Washington, D.C., which enjoys higher wages, lower unemployment, and higher labor force participation for young college grads.
The highest-ranked midsize metropolitan area was San José, which earns its high ranking due to economic strength supported by the tech industry. The top-ranked small metro area was Ann Arbor, home to highly-educated young people, and research activities that support private industry.
And among the smallest metros, Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa, won with a growing technology corridor, an abundance of bike paths and city accessibility due to transit.
The top areas in each size category are, in descending order:
Major metros (More than 2.5 million residents):
1. Washington
2. San Francisco
3. Boston
Midsize metros (1 million-2.5 million):
1. San Jose, California
2. Austin, Texas
3. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
Small metros (250,000-1 million):
1. Ann Arbor, Michigan
2. Bridgeport, Connecticut
3. Lincoln, Nebraska
Smallest metros (Below 250,000):
1. Iowa City, Iowa
2. Lawrence, Kansas
3. Bloomington, Illinois
To view the detailed list of the 75 best metro areas for job seekers, and how they performed in each of the nine factors, visit www.aier.org/edi.
