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A North Carolina destination was crowned the nation’s best place for Generation Z — and the competition was tough.
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Raleigh ranks No. 1 after a “photo finish” that left the other three top cities scoring within one point of it. Each of the cities made it onto the list of places that offer residents entertainment options, lower costs and other quality-of-life factors that are attractive to people ages 20 to 24, according to results published in late August.
“Nearly half name the high cost of living as the single-biggest barrier to their financial success, which puts pressure on where they can afford to start out,” real estate website CommercialCafe wrote in its report.
“That pressure is compounded by a job market that’s far less receptive to new graduates than it used to be, and it’s here that location can actually move the needle.”
To create the list of Gen Z hot spots, CommercialCafe said it studied 48 large cities across the country. Using data from the U.S. government and other sources, it weighed how cities scored in five categories: community, economy, affordability, education and “fun & green.”
Raleigh topped the list after it was found to have 9.7% of residents in their early 20s, one of the highest shares in the country. That may not come as a surprise for a city that’s home to N.C. State University, Shaw University and other schools.
But with Raleigh boasting jobs tailored to recent graduates, younger adults “can find entry-level opportunities in education itself, health care or life sciences across the Triangle without leaving town,” according to CommercialCafe.
“When it comes to Gen Z appeal, Raleigh stacks up as one of the best places to live for the student-to-career transition,” the website wrote in its report. “That’s pertinent for a generation, many of whom have recently made, or are about to make, that life leap.”
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North Carolina’s capital city also stood out when it came to affordability, ranking below the national average for cost of living and offering the lowest internet price among all the places in the study.
“While other cities can point to a strong pipeline from student to career start, few can offer what Raleigh does — courtesy of the Triangle — without the cost tax that usually comes with it,” CommercialCafe wrote.
It’s not the first time Raleigh has ranked as an ideal place for Gen Z to call home. It landed in the top 10 on the CommercialCafe list in the past but hadn’t reigned supreme until now.
The results come a separate list ranked Raleigh among the nation’s top places for new college graduates. The area also has been named a hub for other age groups, including retirees and millennials, The News & Observer previously reported.
In the latest rankings from CommercialCafe, the only other North Carolina city to receive a score was Charlotte, which landed at No. 28.
After Raleigh, here are the other cities rounding out the top five on the list:
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