The Millennial Migration: Top Cities For Today’s 20-Somethings
09 Nov, 2015
Posted on November 3, 2015 by Sabrina Perry
Economically worse off than generations before and more likely to be unmarried, millennials are, in the words of Chandler Bing: “hopeless, awkward and desperate for love.” Simultaneously by choice and necessity, today’s 20-somethings have more time to figure out adulthood. For those in this predicament, living in the right city can make the process a whole lot easier.
By all accounts, 30 really is the new 20. People finish their education later, start careers later and get married later. In the past, religion, societal expectations and unalterable biology meant adulthood happened fairly predictably. You went to school, got a job, got married, and had a baby. That was the recipe for growing up.
Nowadays, the “steps” to adulthood are more flexible than ever before. The pill allows women to delay childbearing and start families later in life. A declining religious population means less stigma with premarital sex. Without the pressure of starting families early, people have more time to get educated and find rewarding jobs.
However, the increasing cost of education has young adults scrambling to pay off student loans and reaching financial independence later. So, though they can take more time to find that special someone and establish their careers, doing so in a walkable city with short commute times is ideal. Because who can pay for gas under their mountain of student debt?
The experts at FindTheHome and FindTheCompany considered these unique needs in order to find ideal cities for today’s 20-somethings. They created a “20’s Index,” which factors in:
- The percentage of single, educated people
- Total population size
- Number of restaurants and bars
- Amount of places within walking distance, referred to WalkIQ
According to the map, it seems that 20-somethings fare better on the West. However, the top 10 cities in the U.S. are almost evenly split between the coasts.
#10. Irvine, CA
20’s index: 87.2
Population: 221,266
WalkIQ: 91
Average commute time: 26.0 minutes
Restaurants per 10k people: 32.2
Bars per 10k people: 2.0
Percent of the population that is not married: 37.0%
Percent of the population that has a bachelor’s degree or higher: 64.9%
#9. Tempe, AZ
20’s index: 87.4
Population: 164,742
WalkIQ: 87
Average commute time: 23.5 minutes
Restaurants per 10k people: 42.0
Bars per 10k people: 5.9
Percent of the population that is not married: 53.4%
Percent of the population that has a bachelor’s degree or higher: 41.7%
#8. Seattle, WA
20’s index: 87.4
Population: 624,681
WalkIQ: 90
Average commute time: 28.5 minutes
Restaurants per 10k people: 47.0
Bars per 10k people: 8.6
Percent of the population that is not married: 43.6%
Percent of the population that has a bachelor’s degree or higher: 57.4%
#7. Arlington, VA
20’s index: 87.7
Population: 214,861
WalkIQ: 94
Average commute time: 30.7 minutes
Restaurants per 10k people: 32.4
Bars per 10k people: 2.7
Percent of the population that is not married: 45.7%
Percent of the population that has a bachelor’s degree or higher: 71.7%
#6. Boston, MA
20’s index: 87.8
Population: 629,182
WalkIQ: 95
Average commute time: 32.5 minutes
Restaurants per 10k people: 40.5
Bars per 10k people: 6.1
Percent of the population that is not married: 56.6%
Percent of the population that has a bachelor’s degree or higher: 43.9%
#5. Washington, D.C.
20’s index: 87.9
Population: 618,777
WalkIQ: 96
Average commute time: 33.3 minutes
Restaurants per 10k people: 35.8
Bars per 10k people: 5.7
Percent of the population that is not married: 58.0%
Percent of the population that has a bachelor’s degree or higher: 51.7%
#4. San Francisco, CA
20’s index: 87.9
Population: 817,501
WalkIQ: 98
Average commute time: 34.0 minutes
Restaurants per 10k people: 49.7
Bars per 10k people: 9.5
Percent of the population that is not married: 46.7%
Percent of the population that has a bachelor’s degree or higher: 52.4%
#3. Boulder, CO
20’s index: 88.4
Population: 100,363
WalkIQ: 87
Average commute time: 21.2 minutes
Restaurants per 10k people: 44.6
Bars per 10k people: 6.3
Percent of the population that is not married: 54.5%
Percent of the population that has a bachelor’s degree or higher: 71.8%
#2. Berkeley, CA
20’s index: 88.6
Population: 114,037
WalkIQ: 97
Average commute time: 30.0 minutes
Restaurants per 10k people: 43.4
Bars per 10k people: 3.9
Percent of the population that is not married: 55.0%
Percent of the population that has a bachelor’s degree or higher: 69.7%
#1. Cambridge, MA
20’s index: 88.6
Population: 105,737
WalkIQ: 98
Average commute time: 27.6 minutes
Restaurants per 10k people: 39.8
Bars per 10k people: 5.8
Percent of the population that is not married: 55.6%
Percent of the population that has a bachelor’s degree or higher: 73.5%
See How Your City Compares on FindTheHome
