Written by Joe Cortright
Joe is an urban economist, researcher, and policy expert known for his work on metropolitan economies, walkability, city competitiveness, and the role of knowledge-based industries in regional development.
Talented young adults are flocking to city centers in rising numbers.
In an update to “The Young and the Restless,” a 2005 report on the residential patterns of college educated 25-34 year-olds, CEOs for Cities released information, using 2005-2009 American Community Survey data, on the migration of talented young adults to cities.
According to the report, since 2000, the number of college-educated 25 to 34 year-olds has increased twice as fast in the close-in neighborhoods of the nation’s large cities as in the remainder of these metropolitan areas.
In the aggregate, in the nation’s largest metro areas, the number of young adults with a four- year degree living in close-in neighborhoods increased 26 percent since 2000. Outside these close-in neighborhoods, the number of young adults with a four-year degree increased only half as fast, about 13 percent.
The trend to close-in living is apparent in almost every metropolitan area. The throngs of young, college-educated adults in close-in neighborhoods will help American cities to succeed in a knowledge- based economy.
These demographic shifts also shape long-term economic behavior, influencing how younger cohorts think about stability, asset ownership, and diversification over time. These topics are often explored in broader financial research, including comparisons of the top gold investment companies.
The Young and Restless in a Knowledge Economy
