Where America’s College-Grads are Moving & the Job Markets They are Moving Into
As a senior in college, I am overly attune with the ‘where should I end up’ conversation. When recent graduates come to visit, I hang onto their every word about what kind of job they have, what their housing situation is, and whether or not they love their new city.
Between 2000 and 2012 the population of college graduates aged 25 to 34 skyrocketed in Houston, Nashville, Denver, Austin, Portland, and Washington.
It just so happens that the people I know exemplify these national trends. Graduates from my Arkansas college flood into Nashville and Denver, hometown hipsters are starting over in Austin and Portland, and of course, there is still a magnetic pull to places like New York City and Washington.
My big question: What kind of job markets posses such a strong magnetic pull for young people? I’m turning to data.
Here’s what I discovered about the top 3 cities experiencing Millennial Migration.
Houston, Texas: A Home for Scientists
At the heart of America’s modern energy industry, Houston also employs many biomedical scientists and aerospace engineers (at NASA). Of the top three cities for millennial migration, Houston (according to ‘10-’14 ACS data) also has the largest construction sector.
The map below represents Median Household Income in Houston, TX. To interact with the map below and view data for each individual block group, click here.
Nashville, Tennessee: Stardom & Healthcare
The music business provides its fair share of recording, promotion, and management work, but those jobs aren’t nearly as easy to snag as work in the healthcare industry. Nashville is also becoming a new focal point for the automotive industry.
The map below represents Median Household Income in Nashville, TN. To interact with the map below and view data for each individual block group, click here.
Denver, Colorado: The Tech & Research Hub
Fact: Between 2010 and 2014, Denver gained 100,000 new out-of-state residents.
The draw hasn’t been the microbreweries or ski slopes, it is the job market.
New companies are drawn to Denver because the costs are lower than they are in major cities. Tech-start ups and research firms are making a happy home in the mile-high city, along with financial firms and a sizable arts scene.
The map below represents Median Household Income in Denver, CO. To interact with the map below and view data for each individual block group, click here.
**All of these successful cities have strong healthcare, education, and retail trade industries with a healthy manufacturing industry.**
The Flip-Side
All of this dramatic growth from educated out-of-state millennials is pushing the rent up and pushing lower-income local residents out. There is an extreme scarcity of housing, making these southern and midwestern cities less and less affordable. In Nashville, homelessness is on the rise and incomes in service industries aren’t rising to meet the boom. These cities are growing quickly, but maybe growth this fast isn’t worth it.
Where will I end up?
Still Undecided.
However, being able to find a job in a growing city that offers housing I can afford is key. For cities who are trying to attract new graduates (or new talent): Start with data. Every community has a story and there are people who want to hear yours (especially new graduates like me).
Is your community attractive to new graduates? Connect with the mySidewalk team today to find out what the data says about your city.
About the Author: Michelle Stockwell is a senior politics major at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas graduating in May 2016.
