We’ve always known that Minneapolis is a great place to live! It’s a city that is perfect for young professionals, new college graduates, and retirees alike. It offers reasonable rent prices and a great atmosphere for enjoying life both indoors and outdoors. Recently, we found accolade upon accolade about Minneapolis that we wanted to share with our website visitors to back up our claim that the city is a top-rated place to move to!
Reason #1: Minneapolis is the #1 city in the nation where renters can afford to live alone
Rent prices are increasing in many cities in the U.S. Nationally, the average rent increased by 11.3% between January 2021 and January 2022. Renters have had to share space with roommates to afford it. However, many people would prefer to live alone if it fits into their monthly budget. This study by SmartAsset has Minneapolis ranked as the number one city where you can afford to live alone due to higher average earnings for full-time workers. According to the study, as of April 2022, Minneapolis has the lowest unemployment rate, at 1.4%.
Reason #2: Minneapolis is the best city for new college grads
New college graduates are looking for a city where jobs are plentiful and rent costs are affordable. Other factors that affect where recent college grads move to are the average income and the potential for social opportunities. According to Zumper, Minneapolis is the best city for college graduates based on their data collection. In fact, Minneapolis is the overall number one city due to affordable rent, median income, a low unemployment rate, and the number of restaurants per capita.
Reason #3: Minneapolis is ranked the best city for young professionals
SmartAsset 2022 Study ranks Minneapolis No. 1 overall for the best city for young professionals. A primary reason for this ranking is due to having the lowest unemployment rate at 1.4% in addition to having the fourth-highest labor force participation rate among young professionals at 90.6%. During the four-year span from 2016 to 2020, full-time workers experienced earnings growth of 14.80% in Minneapolis. And, young professionals can find a large community; people ages 25 to 34 years old comprise 22.17% of the city’s total population.
Reason #4: Minneapolis is the 2nd best city for work-life balance
SmartAsset looked at locational differences in work-life balance by analyzing metrics that included work environment, affordability, and livability. They found that Minneapolis is the 2nd best city for work-life balance. Factors include the unemployment rate, a typical work week at 37.6 hours, affordable housing costs, and median household income. Additionally, it is the 13th-most walkable city in their study.
Reason #5: Minneapolis-St. Paul is the 27th best place to live in the U.S. in 2022-2023
U.S. News and World Report looked at 150 metropolitan areas in the U.S. to find the best places to live based on the quality of life and the job market, as well as the value of living there and people’s desire to live there. Minneapolis and St. Paul came in as the 27th best place to live in their study. These are two cities, separated by the Mississippi River, but are considered one metropolitan area. Minneapolis-St. Paul has big-city amenities like museums and sports stadiums with a Midwestern feel that is very approachable. The St. Paul area offers a historic atmosphere with parks, government offices, and museums while Minneapolis features a mix of historical architecture and contemporary skyscrapers. Both have a host of restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues.
Reason #6: Minneapolis ranks 5th for best parks in the nation
The Trust for Public Land, a non-profit organization that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors, ranks Minneapolis 5th for the best parks in the nation. In their 2022 ParkScore Index, they gave Minneapolis a score of 78.6 points out of 100 based on the average of five categories: acreage, access, investment, amenities, and equity.
Reason #7: Minneapolis ranks 3rd best U.S. city for mental health
Citytistics, along with a study produced by Certapet, has produced an article to provide insight on the best U.S. cities for mental health based on several factors. The city of Minneapolis is known for its parks and lakes, providing plenty of natural, scenic excursions which benefit mental health. Additionally, Minneapolis has a very high score in affordability which eases financial concerns, a huge stressor that affects mental health.
Reason #8: Minnesota is the 4th best state for nurses
Nurses are well-rewarded for their life-saving work, having some of the most lucrative careers. With a mean annual wage of around $80,000 and some of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S., nursing is a highly sought-after profession. WalletHub compared the 50 states across 21 key metrics that speak to the nursing opportunities in each market. Minnesota came in as the 4th best state for nurses. Some of the factors that contribute to this high rating are the annual nursing salaries, the most healthcare facilities per capita, the work environment, opportunity, and competition.
Reason #9: Minneapolis ranks as the No. 2 city for best Midwest startups
Minneapolis ranks second among the best Midwest cities for startups. The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, reports a list that compares the startup ecosystem of 59 cities, ranking them based on 27 factors within these three categories:
- Startup activity
- Access to resources
- Business climate
One reason for the city’s success is the community spirit that it embodies, supported by the Minnesota Technology Administration. Additionally, there is a lot of talent, venture funding, and a large number of entrepreneurs in the Twin Cities area.
Reason #10: Minneapolis ranks 2nd best city to move to after college
In their article dated 9/9/2022, School and Travel cited Minneapolis as the 2nd best city to move to after graduating from college. They based their findings on several factors:
- The chance of getting a job
- The amount of money that may be earned
- The cost of living
The Minneapolis area is ideal for motivated and ambitious college grads who want to enter the workforce in an area with a cheaper cost of living. Affordable rent, average income, and low unemployment rates all contribute to the positives of moving to this metropolitan area.
Reason #11: Minneapolis ranks 12th best place to retire
Retirees want to live in a place where their money will stretch, where they have access to good healthcare, and enjoy a safe environment. Minneapolis checks all these boxes. Additionally, it provides lots of ways to spend leisure time and it has good weather. WalletHub compared the friendliness to retirees in more than 180 U.S. cities across 46 key metrics in these four categories: affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care.
Reason #12: Minneapolis ranks 8th most dog-friendly city in America
In the U.S., 48 million households have dogs as pets. This is a big number! If you are a dog lover and have one (or more) as a pet, then it is important for the city you live in to be friendly to your four-legged family members. SmartAsset has analyzed data for 97 of the largest U.S. cities as to their dog-friendliness and livability and has come up with rankings for the cities that are more accommodating to dogs and their owners. Minneapolis came in at 8th place for the most dog-friendly cities in America. The city has more dog parks (1.6 for every 100,000 residents) and dog-friendly restaurants (196) than other cities, all of which give it a very high ranking.
Reason #13: Minneapolis is the USA’s 4th most sustainable destination
As it becomes more important for everyone to do whatever is possible to be sustainable, cities are doing their best. From using more renewable energy or encouraging residents and visitors to use public transportation, cycle, and walk, both large and small cities are incorporating sustainability methods. ParkSleepFly’s Sustainable USA Travel Index analyzed 50 of the country’s most visited cities on a range of sustainable factors, including:
- Sustainable hotels
- Public transport use
- Renewable energy use
- Air pollution
- Light pollution
- Carbon footprint
- Cycle paths
- Congestion
Minneapolis came in at the position of number 4 after reviewing all those factors. One of the city’s best scores was traffic congestion, with a 10% score. Traffic congestion is one of the major causes of emissions and air pollution. The Index found that Minneapolis has the least congestion of all the other cities.
Reason #14: Minneapolis is the 2nd best city for Gen Z
The Gen Z population is graduating and looking for their first jobs. With the prevalence of remote working, graduates have more flexibility than ever before in choosing where they want to settle. The Commercial Cafe has come up with the top 20 cities for Gen Z-ers and Minneapolis comes in as the 2nd best city! The rankings are based on factors such as affordability, unemployment rate, internet speed, recreational establishments, green commuting, number of parks, and the percentage of Gen Z-ers.
Reason #15: Minneapolis is ranked 6th most bike-friendly city in the world
TimeOut has ranked cities all over the globe as to how bike-friendly they are, and Minneapolis has come in at 6th place! The city has the highest ranking in the U.S., with more cycling infrastructure than anywhere else in the country and a plentiful supply of bikes available. In addition, it has more trails per square mile than any other spot in the U.S.
Let Stutsman Realty Help You Find Your Dream Home or Apartment Rental
If you’re ready to relocate to Minneapolis, we can help. Stutsman Realty, Inc. offers Uptown, MN apartment rentals as well as home buyers’ representation for real estate purchases. To get started, please call us at 952-927-4144 or fill out the form below. We look forward to hearing from you.
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