This article was written by Catherine Davies-Nelson, a student in the UST MS degree in Real Estate.
Forbes Real Estate recently surveyed the largest 100 cities in the U.S. based on projected job growth, median salaries, unemployment rates and cost of living, and our fair city of Minneapolis ranked in at number 10.
The Twin Cities offers relatively high salaries ($51,000 is the median salary of 24-34 year old employed college graduates), a high concentration of small businesses (1 small business for every 45 residents) and a low unemployment rate (6.3%). Particularly compared to coastal cities, Minneapolis cost of living offers very comfortable lifestyles to its residents.
Minneapolis came ahead of cities including Austin, Texas and Boston Massachusetts, but fell behind Denver, Colorado; Portland Maine; Madison, Wisconsin and Des Moines, Iowa among others. Based on the criteria specified above, the rankings came in as follows. And no, that is not a typo, our neighbors to the South took the number 1 spot.
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Portland, Maine
- Denver, Colorado
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Washington DC
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Austin, Texas
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Farfield County, Connecticut
Some other recent rankings of Minneapolis include:
- Minneapolis ranked No. 1 for “Fittest City” by Shape. According to Shape Minneapolis residents “are now more active than any other place in the country, with nearly 86 percent reporting they’ve done some form of exercise in the past month and 55 percent saying they’re moderately active for at least half an hour every day. Twin City residents also can lay claim to having the lowest percentage of deaths from heart disease and the lowest rates of asthma.” http://www.shape.com/fitness/top-10-fittest-cities-america
- Minneapolis ranked No. 9 as “Most Walkable Cities in the United States” by WalkScore. http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/
- Minneapolis ranked No. 2 for “Smart Places to Live” by Kiplinger http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/slideshows/slideshow_pop.html?nm=smart_places
- Minneapolis ranked in top 10 “Cleanest Cities Worldwide” by CNBC.com http://www.cnbc.com/id/40843779/The_10_Cleanest_Cities?slide=6
- Minneapolis is consistently ranked No. 1 or 2 for “Bicycling” (always seem to be neck and neck with Portland, OR) http://www.bicycling.com/news/featured-stories/bicyclings-top-50
- Minneapolis ranked No. 10 for “Healthiest place for men to live” by Mens Health. http://www.menshealth.com/bestcities/
- Minneapolis ranked No. 1 for “Best Cities for Sleep” by Sperling’s Best Places. The “Sleep in the City” Study Examined the 5 criteria: Happiness index, Number of days residents didn’t get enough rest or sleep during the past month, Average length of daily commute, Divorce rates, and Unemployment rates http://bestplaces.net/docs/studies/ambiensleep.aspx
- Minneapolis ranked in at number 30 in “America’s 50 Best Cities” polled by Blomberg Businessweek. “The city of lakes is a fun place, with great bars, restaurants, and three pro sports teams. Minneapolis has low unemployment, and a large percentage of the population holds a bachelor’s degree. The city has much to offer but scored a bit lower in our rankings due to a high rate of violent crime.” http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/slideshows/slideshow_pop.html?nm=smart_places
Tags: Forbes Real Estate, living in Minneapolis, Median Salaries Minneapolis, Minneapolis best of, Minneapolis top 10 rankings, Most walkable cities
