Talented Young Adults are Choosing to Live Downtown

Since 2000, two-thirds of the nation's 51 largest cities have seen on average a 26 percent increase in the number of young, college-educated adults choosing to live within three miles of the urban center — compared to an average increase of 13 percent in the rest of the metropolitan area. In Young and Restless 2011, a new report by Impresa and CEOs for Cities, researchers utilized 2010 Census data to examine the migration of young individuals (between the ages of 25 to 34 year olds). College-educated, young adults were found to be 94 percent more likely than their less educated counterparts to live in close-in urban neighborhoods — up from 61 percent in 2000. In five metropolitan areas (Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Washington), almost two-thirds of young adults who live in urban centers have at least a four-year degree. Even metropolitan areas experiencing overall population declines (e.g., Cleveland - 17 percent decline; and Detroit - 25 percent decline) saw significant increase in the number of young, college educated adults relocating to their urban centers (e.g., Cleveland - 49 percent increase; and Detroit - 59 percent increase). Read the press release...