Best places for Gen Z to live? North Carolina is home to one of them, rankings show
North Carolina is home to one of the nation’s best places for younger adults to live, a new report finds.
Raleigh ranks No. 5 on a list of destinations offering jobs, affordability and other qualities that can be desirable for people in Generation Z, according to a list that CommercialCafe published June 29.
The website — part of the real-estate technology company Yardi — said it created the list of Gen Z hot spots after studying the 50 most populated U.S. cities.
While focusing on 39 of those cities with available data, the website scored each place in several categories, including the economy, internet costs, activities, and environmentally friendly options. Rounding out the six categories were population and higher education trends for people ages 20 to 24, CommercialCafe told McClatchy News in an email.
Generation Z, according to the Pew Research Center, encompasses those born between 1997 and 2012.
What makes Raleigh appealing for Gen Z?
Among the cities considered, Raleigh was the only place in North Carolina to earn a top 10 spot on the national list.
“The North Carolina city stood out for placing 3rd in the economic category, scoring well in all three subcategories — cost of living, jobs accessible to recent graduates, and unemployment rate,” CommercialCafe wrote in a news release.
Raleigh, home to several colleges and universities, also received a nod when it came to having one of the largest portions of people ages 20 to 24 enrolled in schools. It also was found to have one of the biggest shares of Gen Z residents among cities in the study.
“While Raleigh might not have the same entertainment options or number of parks as the nation’s largest cities, it can offer Gen Zers a cost of living just below the national average,” the report said, though some renters in the Triangle have struggled to stay afloat this year.
The rankings add to a list of recent praise for Raleigh, which has been named a top place for people across different age groups to call home. Those include recent college graduates, families with children, millennials and retirees, McClatchy News reported.
In the latest rankings, the city named the nation’s most attractive place for Gen Z residents was Minneapolis.
Rounding out the top five were:
- Atlanta at No. 2
- Boston at No. 3
- Columbus, Ohio, at No. 4
This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 2:32 PM.
