San Francisco Named #1 Hotspot for Next Generation Workforce

Next Generation Consulting recently released its “Next Cities” list which identifies top U.S. hotspots for young and talented workers. San Francisco is ranked the nation’s #1 “Super City,” a designation given to cities with a population of 500,000 or more. This study highlights the reasons that San Francisco is one of the most attractive destinations for members of a young and energetic global workforce.

Based off of a survey of over 39,000 individuals between the ages of 20-40, Next Generation Consulting identified seven key indexes that distinguish cities like San Francisco:

-Vitality
-Earning
-Learning
-Social capital
-Cost of living
-After hours
-Around town

Vitality within this context was defined as air and water quality, in addition to the overall health of existing residents of the city. The earning factor of a city was measured by future job growth, the percentage of jobs in the knowledge based sector, as well as household income. The learning factor of a “Next City” was measured by Wi-Fi hotspots, education expenditures, public library and a variety of other factors. The social capital index was designed to measure how “open, safe and accessible the city is to all people;” measured by voter participation rate, percentage of women and minority owned businesses, in addition to numerous other factors. The cost of lifestyle factor refers to overall affordability of a “Next City”. After Hours refers to the vibrancy of a city’s nightlife, and the Around Town factor refers to the public transit accessibility, as well as airport locations and commute times.

Next Generation Consulting is Wisconsin based market research firm specifically focused on the next generation ((Generation X-ers (b. 1961-1981) and Millennial’s (b. 1982-2001)) in the workplace. Employers consistently hire NGC to research how to make the workplace more engaging for and attractive to the aforementioned “next generation.”