Cedar Rapids receives top ranking in Next Cities list
Cedar Rapids is ranked fourth in a list of “Next Cities” with a population of 100,000-200,000 released by Madison, WI based Next Generation Consulting. “Next Cities” are considered to be the best places to live and work for young professionals.
The metrics used for ranking are categorized into seven indexes that the next generation uses to evaluate where they’ll live: Vitality, Earning, Learning, After Hours, Cost of Lifestyle, Around Town and Social Capital. The rankings are based on a city’s total score in all seven indexes.
Next Generation Consulting (NGC) has been studying the city and workplace preferences of the next generation since 1998. The Next City rankings were tabulated by NGC research analysts Margaret Leaf and Marty Honisch who collected and ranked 45 measures for all U.S. cities with over 100,000 people.
Asked about his analysis of the rankings, Honisch replied, “A city’s goal should not be to make the rankings. The goal should be to offer a well-rounded city experience that includes all seven of the indexes.” In fact, cities that offer good all-around scores were favored in the rankings.
“Simply being the cheapest place to live, or the one with the most to do after hours, is not a talent strategy,” remarks Molly Foley, Lead Consultant at Next Generation Consulting, who’s helped numerous cities with their workforce strategies.
For more information about Next Cities, including a description of each of the seven indexes, click here or contact Molly Foley via email at mf@nextgenerationconsulting.com or 888.922.9596 x707.
Next Cities, population of 100,000-200,000
1. Fort Collins, Colorado
2. Charleston, South Carolina
3. Eugene, Oregon
4. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
5. Springfield, Illinois
6. Cary, North Carolina
7. Ann Arbor, Michigan
8. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
9. Pueblo, Colorado
10. Gainesville, Florida
11. Stamford, Connecticut
12. Des Moines, Iowa
13. Spokane, Washington
14. Syracuse, New York
15. Huntsville, Alabama
16. Peoria, Illinois
17. Springfield, Missouri
18. Salt Lake City, Utah
19. Richmond, Virginia
20. Hampton, Virginia
Next Cities, population of 200,000-500,000
1. Madison, Wisconsin
2. Minneapolis, Minnesota
3. Colorado Springs, Colorado
4. Atlanta, Georgia
5. St. Paul, Minnesota
6. Omaha, Nebraska
7. Cincinnati, Ohio
8. Boise, Idaho
9. Durham, North Carolina
10. New Orleans, Louisiana
11. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
12. Raleigh, North Carolina
13. Lexington, Kentucky
14. Virginia Beach, Virginia
15. Lincoln, Nebraska
16. Lubbock, Texas
17. Reno, Nevada
18. Norfolk, Virginia
19. St. Louis, Missouri
20. Orlando, Florida
Next Cities, population of over 500,000
1. San Francisco, California
2. Seattle, Washington
3. Boston, Massachusetts
4. Washington, District of Columbia
5. Denver, Colorado
6. Austin, Texas
7. Baltimore, Maryland
8. Portland, Oregon
9. New York City, New York
10. Columbus, Ohio
11. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
12. Charlotte, North Carolina
13. Chicago, Illinois
14. Nashville, Tennessee
15. Jacksonville, Florida
16. Tucson, Arizona
17. San Antonio, Texas
18. Los Angeles, California
19. San Diego, California
20. Houston, Texas
