Salt Lake City, Utah
Credit: Adam Barhan/http://www.flickr.com/photos/adambarhan/
There are a whole bunch of “top 10 cities” lists out there, but this one might cause you to say, “huh?” and then, “awesome!”
According to moneyunder30.com, Salt Lake City doesn’t just rank in the top 10 for America’s best cities to be young, broke and single, but it ranks in second place.
How did the blog come up with the criteria to rate the cities? They say certain metrics that are important to young professionals were considered. Those in that particular demographic are likely trying to launch a career, stretch a paycheck between cheap food, beer and fun, and looking for love. More specifically, they rated the cities on unemployment and cost of living, number of singles and people ages 18-44, and the number of bars in that city.
“The result could either serve as a map for the wackiest road trip you’ve ever taken or a thought-provoking impetus for picking up stakes and trying out a new home base,” contributor Lou Carlozo wrote in the list’s accompanying blog post.
It looks like Salt Lake City is in pretty good company, too. Austin, Texas ranked number one, with the blog listing low rents, more than 530 bars and restaurants serving a city of 820,000 (that’s one bar or restaurant for every 1,500 people), and a low unemployment rate at 5.1 percent in April. Durham, North Carolina placed third right behind SLC, and cites big companies like IBM, Glaxo Wellcome and Cisco as a plus for the job market.
So, what makes Salt Lake City such a great place for the young, broke and single?
The blog says there’s a lot more behind the city life than “Mormons, the first KFC franchise…and a great big briny body of water”. According to the list, the fact that Salt Lake City is one of the most gay-friendly places to live according to author Gregory A. Kompes and his book “50 Fabulous Gay-friendly Places to Live”. On the job front, the medical staffing firm CHG Healthcare ranked third in Fortune’s “Best Places to Work” list for 2013, and has an office in SLC.
Here’s the complete Top 20 list:
| RANK | CITY | NO. OF BARS | % POP 18-44 | AVG COMMUTE (MIN) | UNEMP. | RANK, % SINGLE | RANK, COST OF LIVING |
| 1 | Austin, TX | 253 | 43.7 | 25.8 | 5.4 | 30 | 30 |
| 2 | Salt Lake City, UT | 114 | 40.5 | 22.7 | 5 | 82 | 12 |
| 3 | Durham, NC | 34 | 41.5 | 22.8 | 7 | 8 | 38 |
| 4 | Columbus, OH | 359 | 39.2 | 23.5 | 6.4 | 74 | 22 |
| 5 | Baton Rouge, LA | 111 | 39.1 | 25.3 | 5.5 | 30 | 35 |
| 6 | Omaha, NE | 276 | 37.3 | 20.1 | 4.6 | 118 | 5 |
| 7 | New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner | 390 | 36.9 | 25.2 | 5.9 | 10 | 40 |
| 8 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 167 | 37.7 | 19.6 | 5.5 | 142 | 15 |
| 9 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 420 | 39.3 | 27.6 | 6.7 | 22 | 76 |
| 10 | Oklahoma City, OK | 142 | 38.1 | 21.8 | 5 | 142 | 19 |
| 11 | Houston, TX | 620 | 39.2 | 27.7 | 6.3 | 90 | 23 |
| 12 | Charleston-N, Charleston, SC | 70 | 39.3 | 24.8 | 6.8 | 86 | 45 |
| 13 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA | 225 | 39.6 | 34.5 | 5.5 | 30 | 79 |
| 14 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 528 | 36 | 22.9 | 8.4 | 20 | 55 |
| 15 | Columbia, SC | 56 | 38.9 | 23.8 | 7.4 | 52 | 50 |
| 16 | San, Diego, CA | 329 | 40.7 | 24.1 | 8 | 96 | 33 |
| 17 | Orlando, FL | 190 | 38.9 | 26.8 | 7.1 | 42 | 43 |
| 18 | Boston, MA | 489 | 37.8 | 29.2 | 6 | 30 | 77 |
| 19 | Dallas, TX | 489 | 39.3 | 26.6 | 6.3 | 114 | 21 |
| 20 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 396 | 37.5 | 24.9 | 5.5 | 66 | 63 |
Read more about the list at http://www.moneyunder30.com/best-cities-young-broke-single-8800.
What do you think about these rankings? Leave your comments below!
Comments
comments