Next Generation Consulting Ranks Hotspots for Young Professionals to Live and Work in the U.S.

Madison, WI---Today, Next Generation Consulting (NGC) announced its "Next Cities" rankings - the best places to live and work for young professionals - in three population categories. NGC tabulated the rankings after collecting and analyzing 45 measures for all U.S. cities with over 100,000 people.

NGC has studied the residential and relocation patterns of 20-40 years olds since 1998, and has developed a one-of-a-kind indexing system that evaluates a city based on the assets that are important to next gen workers. According to NGC, the seven indexes of a "Next City" are: Earning, Learning, Vitality, Around Town, After Hours, Cost of Lifestyle, and Social Capital. The rankings announced today are based on a city's total score in all seven indexes.

"Simply being the cheapest place to live, or the city with the most jobs is not a long-term workforce strategy," says NGCs founder, Rebecca Ryan. Although jobs are important, Ryan says, "The next generation is very savvy about choosing where they'll live. They look carefully at quality of life factors like how much time they're going to spend in traffic commuting, if they can live near a park or hike-and-bike trail, and whether a city's downtown stays awake after five." The Next Cities list ranks cities that are - or have the capacity to be - great places to live and work for the next generation, because they have the best overall score in the seven indexes the next gen values.

Noted economist Richard Florida underscores the large economic dividend paid to cities and regions that are talent magnets, noting in the April 2009 issue of The Atlantic that "The world's 40 largest mega-regions, which are home to some 18% of the world's population, produce two-thirds of global economic output and nearly nine in ten new patented innovations."

NEXT CITIES RANKED BY POPULATION

Mighty Micros - Next Cities with 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

Midsized Magnets - Next Cities with 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

Super Cities - Next Cities with Population 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