Cities Most Likely to Be Hot Spots for Graduating Gen Zers

Top locations are concentrated in the Northwest, Midwest and Southeast.

Young man and woman having fun in outdoor park city area

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Generation Zers—those born after 1996, according to Pew Research—are graduating and starting their careers. Commercial real estate information services provider CommercialCafe ranked cities with the most potential to attract Generation Z job seekers.

Woman running near Boston Harbor at sunrise

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CommercialCafe included the 45 biggest U.S. cities in its ranking, which are based on eight indicators: cost of living index, percentage of Gen Zers, school enrollment, unemployment rate, internet speed, recreational establishments, green commuting, and parks per 10,000 residents.

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Youth Magnets

1. Atlanta
2. Minneapolis
3. Boston
4. Tucson, Ariz.
5. Raleigh, N.C.
6. Columbus, Ohio
7. Seattle
8. Austin, Texas
9. El Paso, Texas
10. New York

San Jose and Fresno, Calif., and Mesa, Ariz., were excluded because the composite cost of living index for these locations was unavailable. Indianapolis was excluded because park data was unavailable.

Young woman rollerskating in urban area

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