In this piece, we will take a look at the 32 best cities for young people. For more cities, head on over to 5 Best Cities for Young People.
The world of today is vastly different from the world a hundred years back. Rapid advances in transportation combined with a growth in living standards have created large city centers and led to rapid transportation between cities located at different corners of the world. While globalization is generally viewed in a positive light, the reality is that like any other concept, it has its own pros and cons.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), globalization is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, according to an economist in the body, the first wave of globalization was driven by the steam engine and the industrial weaving machine, the second by mass production technologies and electricity, the third by computers, and the fourth by cyber systems. They state that globalization has led to greater trade between countries and reduced costs - the simplest example of which is cheap Chinese toys that are available at any American retailer. However, at the same time, some entities suffer as well, as the lower costs of a global production base mean that local producers in countries get priced out if they are unable to control their costs.
In monetary terms, countries where the world's production base has shifted have seen the highest amount of economic growth. From 1945 to 2014, one of the largest annual changes in real GDP per capita has been in China, with other countries that have also developed a strong export base also leading the charge. During the same time, the value of global exports has simply blown up, and when compared to a standard index of 100 for 1913, have grown by an absolutely massive 4,200% between 1913 and 2014.
All this growth has resulted in some of the world's cities having economies that are larger than the combined output of continents. For instance, the largest city in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) is the capital of Japan, Tokyo. Tokyo has a whopping GDP of $2 trillion, followed in second place by New York City which has an economic output of $1.8 trillion. To understand the true scope of this, consider the fact that Africa, the world's second largest and second most populous continent, has a nominal GDP of $2.9 trillion. So in effect, the two largest economic cities of the world have a higher economic output than the world's second largest continent. Still unconvinced? Well, Africa's largest economy is Nigeria whose GDP of $504 billion is fueled by oil production but that figure falls short of the $531 billion in GDP of America's eighth largest economic metropolitan areas of Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Looking at the future, according to a report from Oxford Economics, New York City will reclaim the crown of the world's biggest urban economy as its GDP is estimated to sit at a stunning $2.5 trillion by 2035. Tokyo will still be in second place through a $1.9 trillion GDP and Los Angeles will be in third place with a $1.5 trillion economy. However, in terms of growth, the picture is completely different as four of the top ten growing cities will be in China, and the top three growing regions will be Bengaluru, India, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Mumbai, India, with growth rates of 8.5%, 7.6%, and 6.6% respectively. Cumulatively, seven of the top ten cities will be in China and India and all cities will be in Asia.
Finally, while globalization has spurred over the decades, it was dealt a massive shock by the coronavirus pandemic. At this front, the World Bank believes that while the world will have recovered from the virus' economic effects by the end of this year, the OECD adds that the effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to a greater than expected slowdown of the global economy in 2022 and that growth will remain below trends in 2023 and 2024.
With these details in mind, let's take a look at some of the best cities to live in for young people.
32 Best Cities for Young People
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Our Methodology
We cast a wide net and used seven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) sources to map out the top cities in the world for young people. Each time a city appeared on a list, it was assigned a corresponding point. For instance, if New York was fourth on one list and third on another, it received 4 and 3 points. The points were averaged as a ranking metric. However, since all sources were regionally separated and focused either exclusively on the U.S. or on the world, two separate lists were made and the points were averaged. Then, the top sixteen entries from each were selected and the final results are presented below, with a lower score representing a higher rank.
Best Cities for Young People
32. Columbus, Ohio
Insider Monkey's Score: 33
Columbus is the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio and also the most populous city in the region. It has several Fortune 500 companies.
31. Charlotte, North Carolina
Insider Monkey's Score: 32
Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina in terms of population. It has the largest banking industry in America after New York City, with a total of seven Fortune 500 companies.
30. Durham, North Carolina
Insider Monkey's Score: 31
Durham is one of the oldest cities in the U.S. since it was incorporated in 1869. It has a strong healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, along with the notable Duke University also located in its limits.
29. St. Louis, Missouri
Insider Monkey's Score: 31
St. Louis is a riverside city that is also one of the most populous regions in Missouri. The city is also home to seven Fortune 500 companies, including mostly industrial equipment firms.
28. San Francisco, California
Insider Monkey's Score: 27
San Francisco is a cultural and economic hub in the U.S. It is known for the strong presence of the world's largest technology firms as well as high housing costs due to restrictive laws.
27. Des Moines, Iowa
Insider Monkey's Score: 27
Des Moines is the capital city of Iowa. The city is another financial hub in America, with big players such as Wells Fargo being one of its largest employers.
26. Austin, Texas
Insider Monkey's Score: 26
Austin is the capital city of Texas - one of the largest states in America. Some big companies with a presence in the city are Apple, Dell, Applied Materials, AMD, Amazon, and NVIDIA.
25. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Insider Monkey's Score: 26
Often nicknamed as 'steel city', Pittsburgh has a notable past with a strong materials industry. Since then, it has diversified its economy and has ten Fortune 500 companies.
24. Madison, Wisconsin
Insider Monkey's Score: 24
Madison is the capital city of Wisconsin and one of the largest cities in the state. Some of the largest employers in the region are healthcare firms, along with technology, energy, and financial firms as well.
23. Nashville, Tennessee
Insider Monkey's Score: 24
Nashville is the capital city of Tennessee and ranks among the top thirty most populous cities in America. More than a dozen Fortune 500 companies have a presence in the city, and if you're into music, big record labels also have operations there.
22. Washington, D.C.
Insider Monkey's Score: 23
Washington D.C. is the seat of power in the U.S., and by extension also the world. It is also one of the most expensive places to live in America, with high rents and insane parking costs.
21. Vancouver, Canada
Insider Monkey's Score: 23
Vancouver is a city in the Canadian region of British Columbia. It is one of the most diverse regions in the country, with almost half of its residents non-native English speakers.
20. Athens, Greece
Insider Monkey's Score: 22
Athens is the capital of Greece and also the largest city in the country. Its culture and history really need no introduction, and its economy accounts for almost half of the Greek output.
19. Salvador, Brazil
Insider Monkey's Score: 22
Salvador is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Bahia and a cultural hub in the country. It has several attractions such as one of the biggest street festivals in the world.
18. Dallas, Texas
Insider Monkey's Score: 21
Dallas is one of the largest cities in Texas. Some of the largest companies in America, such as AT&T and Southwest Airlines, have operations in the city, both of which are headquartered there.
17. Melbourne, Australia
Insider Monkey's Score: 21
Melbourne is the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria. It is also the second most populous region in the country. Naturally, this also makes it an economic hub, and some of the largest companies in the country are headquartered there.
16. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Insider Monkey's Score: 21
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, one of the most prosperous countries in the world. It has a vibrant nightlife and a strong financial sector.
15. Toronto, Canada
Insider Monkey's Score: 21
Toronto is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is also one of the most populous cities in North America, and a popular hotspot for immigrants.
14. Barcelona, Spain
Insider Monkey's Score: 20
Barcelona is one of the largest cities in Spain and also one of the richest in terms of GDP per capita.
13. Raleigh, North Carolina
Insider Monkey's Score: 20
Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and one of the largest cities in the state. It has a diversified economy made of healthcare, technology, and other firms.
12. Boston, Massachusetts
Insider Monkey's Score: 20
Boston is the capital city of Massachusetts. It is an economic hub in the state and has one of the largest economies in the world. Boston is also a hub for the healthcare industry in the U.S.
11. Houston, Texas
Insider Monkey's Score: 18
Houston is the biggest city in Texas in terms of population. It is a hub of the energy industry in America.
10. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Insider Monkey's Score: 18
Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina. It is the largest city in the country and a global city as well.
9. Seattle, Washington
Insider Monkey's Score: 17
Seattle is the largest city in the U.S. state of Washington. It is home to Amazon, the largest electronic commerce retailer in the world.
8. Rome, Italy
Insider Monkey's Score: 16
Rome is the capital of Italy and one of the most culturally iconic cities in the world.
7. London, United Kingdom
Insider Monkey's Score: 15
London is the capital of the U.K. and a financial hub not only in Britain but also in Europe.
6. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Insider Monkey's Score: 15
Dubai is the largest city in the United Arab Emirates. It is a global economic hub and is home to several free trade zones.
