100 Best Cities For Young Adults and Professionals

If you want to buy a home in your twenties or thirties, or buy a home out of state, this study of the Best Cities for Young Adults will help you find your next home.

Using data from more than 70 public resources, we ranked the best places to buy a home.

Like our Most Affordable Cities to Buy a House post, we applied mathematics fairly—over-weighting cities that allow you to keep a larger percentage of your paycheck and giving extra consideration to cities with good transportation infrastructure.

We omitted subjective factors completely. You’ll find no mention of a town’s trendiness or hipness.

What are the best cities for young professionals? Where should young adults move after graduation? Use this list to get started.

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The Best U.S. Cities For Young Adults

1. Durham, NC

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #1 in the South
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 100,100 people

2. Pittsburgh, PA

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #1 in the Northeast
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 346,400 people

3. Nashville, TN

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #2 in the South
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 240,500 people

4. Des Moines, IA

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #1 in the Midwest
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 107,000 people

5. Charlotte, NC

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #3 in the South
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 286,800 people

6. Syracuse, NY

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #2 in the Northeast
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 86,500 people

7. Columbus, OH

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #2 in the Midwest
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 341,500 people

8. Austin, TX

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #4 in the South
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 389,000 people

9. Greenville, SC

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #5 in the South
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 94,700 people

10. Houston, TX

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #6 in the South
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 1,200,400 people

11. Albany, NY

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #3 in the Northeast
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 132,100 people

12. Dallas, TX

• Grade: A
• Regional Ranking: #7 in the South
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 1,198,700 people

13. Indianapolis, IN

• Grade: A 
• Regional Ranking: #3 in the Midwest
• Estimated Population Age 20-34: 331,900 people

The Top 100 Cities For Young Adults & Professionals

Based on jobs, commute, population, taxes, food and drink establishments

Overall Rank	City, State	Earned Grade	Region	Regional Rank
1	Durham, NC	A	South	1
2	Pittsburgh, PA	A	Northeast	1
3	Nashville, TN	A	South	2
4	Des Moines, IA	A	Midwest	1
5	Charlotte, NC	A	South	3
6	Syracuse, NY	A	Northeast	2
7	Columbus, OH	A	Midwest	2
8	Austin, TX	A	South	4
9	Greenville, SC	A	South	5
10	Houston, TX	A	South	6
11	Albany, NY	A	Northeast	3
12	Dallas, TX	A	South	7
13	Indianapolis, IN	A	Midwest	3
14	Harrisburg, PA	A-	Northeast	4
15	Fayetteville, AR	A-	South	8
16	Cincinnati, OH	A-	Midwest	4
17	St. Louis, MO	A-	Midwest	5
18	Lubbock, TX	A-	South	9
19	Gainesville, FL	A-	South	10
20	Omaha, NE	A-	Midwest	6
21	Corpus Christi, TX	A-	South	11
22	Raleigh, NC	A-	South	12
23	Dayton, OH	B+	Midwest	7
24	Lexington, KY	B+	South	13
25	Knoxville, TN	B+	South	14
26	Colorado Springs, CO	B+	West	1
27	New Haven, CT	B+	Northeast	5
28	Buffalo, NY	B+	Northeast	6
29	Rochester, NY	B+	Northeast	7
30	Seattle, WA	B+	West	2
31	Birmingham, AL	B+	South	15
32	Tulsa, OK	B+	South	16
33	Akron, OH	B+	Midwest	8
34	Hartford, CT	B+	Northeast	8
35	Baton Rouge, LA	B+	South	17
36	Denver, CO	B	West	3
37	Lafayette, LA	B	South	18
38	Boston, MA	B	Northeast	9
39	Louisville, KY	B	South	19
40	Anchorage, AK	B	West	4
41	Boise, ID	B	West	5
42	Jacksonville, FL	B	South	20
43	Grand Rapids, MI	B	Midwest	9
44	Spokane, WA	B-	West	6
45	Savannah, GA	B-	South	21
46	Winston-Salem, NC	B-	South	22
47	Memphis, TN	B-	South	23
48	Wichita, KS	B-	Midwest	10
49	Baltimore, MD	B-	South	24
50	Kansas City, MO	B-	Midwest	11
51	Washington, DC	B-	South	25
52	Minneapolis, MN	B-	Midwest	12
53	Chattanooga, TN	C+	South	26
54	Oklahoma City, OK	C+	South	27
55	Cleveland, OH	C+	Midwest	13
56	Milwaukee, WI	C+	Midwest	14
57	San Antonio, TX	C+	South	28
58	Little Rock, AR	C+	South	29
59	Augusta, GA	C+	South	30
60	Tampa, FL	C+	South	31
61	Atlanta, GA	C+	South	32
62	Springfield, MO	C+	Midwest	15
63	Youngstown, OH	C+	Midwest	16
64	Providence, RI	C+	Northeast	10
65	Richmond, VA	C	South	33
66	Lancaster, PA	C	Northeast	11
67	Reno-Sparks, NV	C	West	7
68	Shreveport, LA	C	South	34
69	San Jose, CA	C	West	8
70	Fort Wayne, IN	C	Midwest	17
71	Detroit, MI	C	Midwest	18
72	Orlando, FL	C	South	35
73	Charleston, SC	C	South	36
74	Bakersfield, CA	C	West	9
75	Phoenix, AZ	C	West	10
76	Chicago, IL	C-	Midwest	19
77	San Francisco, CA	C-	West	11
78	Columbia, SC	C-	South	37
79	Sacramento, CA	C-	West	12
80	Salt Lake City, UT	C-	West	13
81	Fayetteville, NC	C-	South	38
82	Portland, OR	C-	West	14
83	Rio Rancho, NM	C-	West	15
84	Philadelphia, PA	C-	Northeast	12
85	Jackson, MS	D+	South	39
86	Sarasota, FL	D+	South	40
87	El Paso, TX	D+	South	41
88	Riverside, CA	D+	West	16
89	Las Vegas, NV	D+	West	17
90	Tucson, AZ	D+	West	18
91	Mobile, AL	D+	South	42
92	Cape Coral, FL	D	South	43
93	McAllen, TX	D	South	44
94	Eugene, OR	D	West	19
95	New York, NY	D	Northeast	13
96	Fresno, CA	D	West	20
97	San Diego, CA	D	West	21
98	Miami, FL	D-	South	45
99	Los Angeles, CA	D-	West	22
100	Honolulu, HI	F	West	23

Our Methodology

Homebuyer performed a sizable amount of original research in our search for the Best U.S. Cities For Young Adults.

This is an objective analysis based on statistical studies and credible resources. The only component of our study that can be considered “opinion” is our opinion that Young Adults should be able to afford the city in which they live—especially if they are making the move out of their parents’ house.

We would say that about any age group.

Affordability matters to everyone. When your life is affordable, you give yourself options. You can use your excess money to buy a home with a low down payment (or a big one), set aside money for retirement, and protect your loved ones with a proper life insurance policy.

Including affordability, we identified six categories that matter to people of all ages and assigned a relative weight to each.

Then, using government and private sources, we logged local data for more than 3,500 cities — from Abbeville, Louisiana to Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico — before narrowing our data set down to the 100 most populous cities for people aged 20-34, where entry-level jobs are ample.

We ranked these “Best Places for Young Adults to Live” from A to F. The six categorical rankings are as follows.

1. How far does a paycheck get you in the city? (50% of score)

Your salary is not your paycheck. Your salary is what you earn. Your paycheck is what you take home after taxes and fees.

Depending on where you live, your paycheck can be shrunk. Many cities levy taxes on people working within city limits to pay for public services such as parks and sanitation.

Tax rates can be as high as six percent, or $6 from your paycheck for every $100 you earn.

Furthermore, the value of your paycheck varies based on where you live.

In some cities, renting an apartment, shopping for food, and buying clothes costs more than the national average. Your paycheck gets used up faster. There’s less left over to spend on things such as leisure, fun, and savings.

We wanted to capture this dynamic as part of our “Best Places To Live” study for Young Adults because it’s a real-world event that’s rarely discussed. Your salary may not be as important as you think.

We did an abundance of research related to each city’s entry-level salary range, taxes charged to workers by the city and state, and the city’s specific cost of living to find what a dollar earned in each city is actually worth. We sourced income data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, referencing workers twenty-five years or older with a Bachelor’s Degree; cost of living data from the government’s Cost of Living Index as published in the Statistical Abstract of the United States; and, tax data from each state’s Department of Revenue and each city’s City Office.

Multiple cost-of-living indices are available through the Statistical Abstract of the United States. We chose the index that factors the cost of grocery items, housing, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods and services into its result.

We ignored the cost of renters insurance because it’s property-specific and linked to additional coverages, including personal liability and auto insurance, which can be bundled for discounts and savings. We computed the median earnings for each city, adjusted for state and local taxes, and then normalized that figure for the city’s cost of living.

This allowed us to rank every U.S. city by its relative income-earning potential. Cities in which workers keep more of their paycheck received the highest scores.

2. What’s the after-work and weekend scene like in the city? (10% of score)

There’s a positive correlation between the number of restaurants, bars, and clubs in a city and its vibrancy.

When you want to go out — after work or on the weekend — you want to have options. A city’s food and social scene matters to Young Adults looking for the best places to live. Using data from the Economic Census of the United States, we found the number of food and drink establishments in a city and adjusted it against that city’s total population aged 20-34 to find the number of restaurants, food trucks, coffee shops, bars, clubs, brunch spots, and other venues per person.

Cities with more places to eat and drink per young person received higher scores than cities with fewer places to eat and drink.

3. What’s the public transportation situation like in the city? (10% of score)

Owning a car can add a lot to your monthly expenses.

First, there’s the cost of the car. Whether you choose to lease or buy your car, that monthly payment comes due each month, along with the cost of parking. In some cities, there’s an abundance of street parking available at all times.

More commonly, you pay to park your car at home, work, or both. Those costs can add up. You’ve also got the cost of gas; and car insurance (by the way, you should probably shop for cheaper car insurance).

For all of these reasons, we considered the strength of each city’s public transportation system when making our list of “Top U.S. Cities For Young Adults and Professionals.”

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, we gathered data on the number of workers aged 20-44 who walk or take public transportation to work, including trains, subways, buses, and ferries.

Cabs and on-demand drivers like Uber and Lyft are not considered public transportation.

Cities with a higher percentage of workers who walk or who take public transportation to work were awarded higher scores.

4. How many other young people live there? (15% of score)

When you’re moving to a new city and making a new life, it’s important to find your tribe; people with common interests to you and with whom you can form relationships.

This is why we researched the population density of young people in U.S. cities as part of the “Best Cities for Young Adults and Professionals” study.

To find the population density of people in their twenties, we used the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to find the total population of people aged 20-29 within each of the country’s urban areas, then compared that figure against the total number of people living in the same urban area.

The higher a city’s ratio of young people to its overall population, the higher it scored in our system.

5. How many entry-level jobs are available in the city? (7.5% of score)

When you’re moving to a new city as a Young Professional, you’ll want to ensure you get the job you want. So, an abundance of entry-level jobs in the city is important.

To determine the number of full-time, entry-level job openings by city, we searched the Indeed.com database and set a 25-mile radius around each city center, assuming that Young Adults and Professionals will commute up to twenty-five miles for an entry-level job.

After finding the number of available entry-level positions in a city, we adjusted it against U.S. Census Bureau data showing the city’s population aged 20-34, which shows the relative strength of the entry-level job market for Young Adults.

6. How much time is spent commuting in the city? (7.5% of score)

As human beings, time is our most valuable asset. How we spend it shapes who we are and what we can accomplish, so we included “time spent commuting” as part of the Best Cities For Young Adults and Professionals study.

The less time you spend commuting, the more time you have for interests and hobbies such as sports leagues, gaming, and hitting the gym.

Using data from the American Community Survey published by the U.S. Census Bureau, we found the typical travel time to work for workers over 16 years of age across the country who do not work from home.

Data was split into 5-minute increments up to the forty-five minute mark, at which point larger increments were used. Each city was then assigned a score based on the minutes it takes to commute to work.

Cities with lower commuting times were awarded higher point totals.

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Yes, You Can Share Our Research!

Homebuyer conducted its research to help Young Adults and Professionals make better decisions about their money, careers, and lives.

If you’ve found our research helpful, you can share this article online with proper attribution.

Here’s how to properly share this study:

• Please include highlights from the study only. Do not copy images or tables.
• You may list the Top 13 cities only – those with A grades. You may not list the rankings of cities graded A- or lower.
• You must include a link to this webpage.

For follow-up information and usage rights for our research, please email hello@homebuyer.com. We’re happy to help you do more with our data.