Which US Cities Are Biggest "Brain Magnets"?

Joel Kotkin describes recent trends that he says may surprise city planners who have long pursued policies to attract college-educated citizens to their cities.

1 minute read

February 23, 2011, 12:00 PM PST

By Victor Negrete


According to Kotkin, the common belief is that college graduates have been flocking to the coasts. However, according to data provided by Wendell Cox, the largest gains in college-educated citizens as a percentage of the adult population has occurred in the South and Midwest:

"It turns out that none of the top 10 gainers were large Northeastern cities, but largely Southern or Midwestern. New Orleans; Raleigh, N.C.; Austin, Texas; Nashville; Birmingham, Ala.; Kansas City, Mo.-Kan.; and Columbus, Ohio, all scored high marks. Only one California city, San Diego, made the top 10. Perennial "brain gainers" Denver, Colo., and Seattle round out the top 10."

Thursday, February 10, 2011 in New Geography

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