The kids are alright, apparently, if they live in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh took the #2 spot on a recent ranking of the best mid-sized cities to live in for Gen Z from Commercial Cafe, a commercial real estate blog that frequently puts together such lists. (More accurately, though, we’re not talking about kids anymore; Gen Z has mostly grown up, with about half having crossed over into their 20s.)
The study, released last fall, only includes cities with populations between 250,000 and 400,000, which excludes cities such as Minneapolis, Boston and Atlanta – top picks on a list from the same source ranking cities of any size. For the mid-sized city list, Commercial Cafe prioritized “several Gen-Z-friendly factors, such as employment opportunities for fresh graduates, affordability and green spaces.”
Commercial Cafe touted Pittsburgh, ranked behind only Madison, Wis., for its high education enrollment for Gen Z residents (roughly 70%), arts scene, green spaces, and employment opportunities in technology-related sectors. It also notes Pittsburgh’s high proportion of 20-25-year-olds – about 11%.
Chris Briem, an economist with the University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for Social and Urban Research, had mixed thoughts about the ranking when contacted by Pittsburgh City Paper. According to Briem, that large amount of 20-25-year-olds makes sense given the city’s several universities, and doesn’t necessarily indicate any of them plan to stay in the city long-term. Those universities also add a lot to the green spaces, he says.
“Take out the colleges and I doubt we rank very high,” Briem writes by email.
A 2023 Quality of Life Survey from the Center for Social and Urban Research shows favorable overall satisfaction from 18-29-year-olds in Allegheny County. About 70% of that cohort say they’re very or somewhat likely to stay in Allegheny County for the next five years, and roughly 89% say their overall quality of life is “good” or better. Still, the city of Pittsburgh only makes up about a quarter of Allegheny County’s population.
Lindsey Robles, a 25-year-old and the neighborhood engagement coordinator for Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration, has so far enjoyed her three years living in Pittsburgh and has seen it become more diverse and interesting in that time, she tells City Paper.
“There’s so many amazing places here to see here in Pittsburgh or visit, especially when it comes to restaurants or start-up businesses,” Robles says.
Originally from California, Robles didn’t plan to stay in Pittsburgh long, but found it to be a great place for her professional development. Many young professionals find the city appealing, she says.
“Pittsburgh, although it’s considered a city, it doesn’t feel like New York or San Francisco or L.A., it’s a city where it feels like a community,” Robles says. “I’m always going to go back to the word ‘community’ because that’s honestly why I decided to stay in Pittsburgh.”
She’s even heard of something prescient from back in California about Pittsburgh.
“It’s funny, because … years back, in San Francisco, there was a big billboard or sign that said ‘everyone is moving to Pittsburgh’ or ‘the place to live right now is Pittsburgh,” Robles says. “And I had met people who were visiting Pittsburgh and they were like, ‘yeah, we saw that sign and we decided to come check it out.’”
This article appears in Dec 25-31, 2024.
