Ann Arbor, Michigan, ranks as the highest metropolis for Gen Z professionals, based on a brand new survey by RentCafe.com — an condominium search platform that evaluated 264 US metros.
The research narrowed the record to 122 metros by excluding cities with populations below 300,000 or missing enough knowledge.
Rankings had been primarily based on key Gen Z priorities like affordability, tradition, range, setting and total livability.
“We put collectively this record to assist Gen Z grads discover cities that supply a stability between rewarding work and an excellent life,” wrote Mihaela Buzec, the report's writer.
Metrics included the share of Gen Z residents, schooling ranges, unemployment modifications, revenue and job development, and a composite livability index that factored in socioeconomics, neighborhood dynamics and high quality of life.
“Ann Arbor takes the highest spot with its college-town attraction and aggressive job market,” the report famous. The town is residence to the College of Michigan, which drives a gentle inflow of younger expertise and cultural exercise.
Lincoln, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa, adopted intently behind.
The report highlighted a development of Gen Z professionals favoring smaller, reasonably priced cities with robust financial foundations and college presence.

“We see the shift in Gen Z's preferences from the massive city facilities to extra livable and reasonably priced locations,” the report said.
RentCafe.com informed FOX Enterprise that among the many 122 metros that ranked on the backside had been El Paso, TX; McAllen, TX; Memphis, TN; Stockton, CA; and Lafayette, LA.
“These metros ranked on the backside of the record not essentially as a result of they're missing alternatives, however as a result of they don't align with the core values of Gen Z, particularly relating to livability elements and the industries that drive the job market,” based on Mihaela Buzec, a senior author and researcher.

“Particularly, we are able to have a look at metros akin to Bakersfield (#116), Modesto (#115), or Beaumont (#114), the place the principle hiring industries are agriculture, oil and fuel, or logistics and manufacturing, not the standard industries that Gen Zs orient themselves to,” Buzec stated.
Buzec defined additional that Gen Zs choose communities that “supply a top quality of life, with frequent cultural occasions, numerous leisure choices, and walkable areas,” which lots of the metros that ranked low lacked.
“As an illustration, McAllen, TX, and El Paso, TX, had the 2 lowest scores for the livability composite index in our evaluation (#122 and #121). One key demographic metric that additionally influenced this positioning is the decrease proportion of extremely educated Gen Zs from the overall younger grownup inhabitants, that means there is no such thing as a massive driving power for change in the meanwhile in these particular metros,” Buzec stated.
