Millennials, young adults ranging from ages 18 to 34, are the largest generation in history — and that gives them some serious economic power. This generation will soon comprise the majority of the workforce, and their choices of where to live — and whether to live in an apartment or a home — will have wide-ranging impacts. That’s why we, at Rentable, surveyed 2,000 Millennials to find out what they love, and where they can find it.
Overwhelmingly, Millennials chose a thriving job market as their most important factor in choosing a new city, followed by affordable rent, affordable home prices, hiking/biking trails and parks, great restaurants — and that’s especially true for pizza. Quality pizza managed to outrank school districts (which makes sense, given that Millennials are having fewer babies than any other generation), public transportation, access to a local university, and 11 other factors:
- Movie theaters
- Walkability
- Revitalized downtown
- LGBTQ-friendliness
- Ethnic food
- Farmers market
- Concert venues
- Town center/mall
- Local coffee shops
- Affordable clothing
- Nearby waterfront
So how does Pittsburgh stack up? Steel City made the list of Millennials’ 20 favorite cities. Specifically, people love the affordable homes for rent in Pittsburgh, as well as low home prices and the scenic Allegheny, Ohio, and Monongahela rivers. And with the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University planted so near to the city’s center, in addition to the University of Pittsburgh, access to local colleges and universities is a breeze.
The home of the Steelers also ranks well for employment, even named one of the best cities to work for a tech start-up. Pittsburgh’s balance of rent, salary, and time spent commuting. Compared with Silicon Valley, tech jobs in Pittsburgh actually pay higher salaries when you factor in what those employees are paying for rent — not to mention they spend 40 fewer hours in the car every year.
All told, Pittsburgh has 70% of the qualities Millennials love, making it one of the best spots in the country for young adults to put down roots.
Want to learn more about Pittsburgh? Read through our local guide.
