With years of experience helping individuals of all ages find accomodation, Nestpick have witnessed first-hand that young professionals display clear migrational patterns. Nestpick conducted this study, for the second year in a row, in order to pinpoint which cities are successfully attracting this generation, and therefore a core future workforce.

Building on last year’s study, Nestpick researched a wider scope of criteria and sources for the 2018 ranking, including an analysis of top universities and personal freedoms. In addition, the main categories were weighted to reflect the concerns and mindsets of the generation. For example, while housing affordability is a major concern for most, it is even more so for young professionals at the start of their careers. With these interests in mind, 110 cities were analysed taking into consideration four main areas of concern; the business ecosystem, the essentials (housing, food etc.), openness, and recreation.

“Millennials grew up in a shrinking world, where the internet opened doors their parents never could have dreamed of, and budget airlines made those avenues real possibilities. It’s now possible to live and work anywhere in the world, and these opportunities are shaping how our planet will look to future generations,” says Ömer Kücükdere, Managing Director of Nestpick. “We must learn to adapt to the needs of younger people in order to have a thriving economy, and we believe that this ranking offers valuable insights to those cities looking for regeneration from a younger demographic.”

Below is a sample of the results for London, United Kingdom, which came #3 in the overall ranking. To reveal how the city performed for each factor in comparison to the other cities in the index, each individual criteria is ranked from 1-110, with 1 indicating that it is the best overall:

The top 20 best millennial cities are revealed below. Scores are from 1 – 10, with 10 indicating the highest possible score. The results for each 17 criteria have been combined into four main categories for clarity.

The top 20 cities for millennials

These final results reveal the best overall cities for millennials, based on all four factors, but by looking at the top ten cities for each individual category, the results indicate which location would be best for a young person based on their strongest concerns.

 For example, those millennials looking for an adventure or experience abroad should focus on the Essentials Top 10, which looks at factors such as housing, food, internet, and transport, which are all important for short-term movers, while employment or openness might not be such a primary concern. Likewise, young professionals looking for work opportunities should focus instead on the Business Ecosystem Top 10.

The top 10 cities for millennials based on each larger category:

“The hackneyed idea that millennials are all entitled snowflakes is tired, and needs to be put to rest. How this generation differs from their predecessors is that they have more choice, and with these increased options has come a sense that they won’t settle for second-best,” says Ömer Kücükdere, Managing Director of Nestpick. “This offers an exciting opportunity for cities to rise to the challenge and become a magnet for millennials, because while this young demographic is demanding more, they are also giving back more in terms of entrepeneurialship, economy and equality than ever before.”