National list-making publication Forbes.com officially unveiled their new Top 20 list of the best US Cities for Young Professionals today, and Columbus ranked highly in 7th place. The survey takes into consideration multiple factors for determining the list, including median salaries, unemployment rates, cost of living, education levels and regional job growth.
“Like every great metropolis, in order to grow and prosper we need to consistently attract the best and the brightest while continuing to support and strengthen those young people who have recently moved here or graduated and are declaring their path to success,” said Derek Grosso, founder of the Columbus Young Professionals Club when talking about YP trends last fall. “Young Professionals are always going to be needed as agents of change and beacons for the future.”
While median salary levels in Columbus are not as high as other cities, the cost of living here is lower than the national average by over five percent, and yearly job growth is currently keeping pace at 2.5%, meaning that new work opportunities continue to rise with our growing population.
“For some, Silicon Valley’s high cost of living might be worth the opportunity to gain experience at Google, Apple, or LinkedIn,” explains Erin Carlyle, the author of the article and list at Forbes. “Then again, would-be entrepreneurs might find that Columbus, with its lower-key emerging tech scene, reasonable cost of living, and reduced competition for VC funding, is a less stressful fit.”
The list was topped by San Francisco, with the nearby Silicon Valley region coming in second place. Columbus was also bested by Raleigh, Dallas, Austin and Seattle. Other noteworthy regional cities in the list include Indianapolis and Minneapolis (tied for #10) and Cincinnati (#15).
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