Does New Data Upend Old Assumptions About the Knowledge Economy?

Joel Kotkin looks at a new analysis of Census data by Wendell Cox that may upend the "conventional wisdom" that "talented, highly-skilled and highly educated people" are clustering in America's coastal cities.

2 minute read

August 10, 2012, 12:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Using data that depicts the change in the number of people with bachelor's degrees in the 51 largest metropolitan statistical areas in America from 2000-2010, Kotkin concludes that, "In the past decade, the metropolitan areas that have enjoyed the
fastest growth in their college-educated populations have not been the
places known as hip, intellectual hotbeds." Hence, he finds that rather than clustering in select "hip" cities, "brainpower is spreading out."

"In reality," Kotkin argues, "skilled, college-educated people are increasingly now
scattered throughout the country, and often not where you'd expect
them. For example, Charlotte, N.C., Columbus, Ohio, Kansas City and
Atlanta now boast about the same per capita number of college grads as
Portland and Chicago, and have higher per capita concentrations of
grads over the age of 25 than Los Angeles."

It probably isn't shocking to see that the fastest growing cities over the last decade (Las Vegas, Raleigh, Austin, Charlotte, Riverside) also grew by the highest numbers of college grads. Kotkin attributes the growth of college grads in these areas to three key factors that invariably attract any American - "lower home prices, better business climate, job
opportunities." 

"Looking ahead," Kotkin concludes, "we can expect this trend to continue, particularly as
the current bulge of millennial graduates mature and start to look for
affordable places to live and work. Regions that maintain strong job
growth, and keep their housing costs down, are likely to keep gaining on
those metropolitan areas celebrated for being the winners of the race
for educated people."

Thursday, August 9, 2012 in New Geography

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up of full beer glass with purple train-themed design sitting on bar between two frosty tall cans.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?

TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

June 30 - Cities Today

Vintage red Toronto streetcar passing in front of Rogers Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events

Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

June 30 - blogTO

Map of Berlin with ring roads in green and red.

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan

The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.

June 30 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.