Pittsburgh beats Philadelphia - again
Philadelphia ranked 56 out of 75 cities in a survey of job availability, rental affordability and overall livability for millennials. Pittsburgh was No. 1.
Apartment List has ranked 75 of the nation's top metro areas in three categories relevant to millennials (and —we'd argue — the rest of us). Knowing what we do about soaring rental rates in the region, it might not be a great surprise to learn that Philadelphia ranked 56 on the list, released Sept. 8. Adding insult to injury? The number-one metro in America for renters born since 1980 is cross-state, sometimes-rival Pittsburgh, which ranked with an A+.
The number crunchers at the rental firm examined weather patterns, park access, nightlife, safety and crime rates to come up with a score for livability, and job market strength and median pricing on rental rates to calculate scores for jobs and affordability. Locally, Philadelphia made a C overall, ranking 53 of 75 for its job market (and a millennial unemployment rate of 8.5 percent), 50 of 75 for affordability (only 64 percent of the population can afford the median home), and 42 of 75 for livability. If there's a silver lining, it's knowing the city rated highly for opportunities for dating and making friends.
If you're not ready to move to Pittsburgh, Provo, Utah; Madison, Wisconsin; San Antonio, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio, round out the top five metros for millennials. Philadelphia can take some small comfort from finishing ahead of metros in New England, where cities in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts filled four of the bottom 10 rankings.