During recent visits to Penn State, Arizona State and Marquette, I urged soon-to-graduate PR students to begin their careers in major markets such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco.
While I still stand by my belief that these cities are where the most PR jobs can be found, a new report from the personal-finance website WalletHub puts none of these cities in the top 10 states for Millennials.
In order to determine the most livable places for this generation, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 30 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of millennials to average monthly earnings for millennials to millennial unemployment rate.
10 Best States for Millennials
1. District of Columbia
2. North Dakota
3. Minnesota
4. Massachusetts
5. Iowa
6. Wisconsin
7. Utah
8. Nebraska
9. Colorado
10. South Dakota
I asked WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez what the report means for young people pursuing careers in public relations. Jill’s recommendation: “Based on our findings, millennials pursuing careers in most fields, including PR, should focus their efforts in states such as North Dakota, Minnesota, Massachusetts or the District of Columbia.
Jill added, “If you’re looking for better paying jobs, for example, the District of Columbia is your best option offering, with the highest average monthly earnings for millennials at $5,049. DC also offers the highest number of entry-level jobs at 198 per 1,000 millennials.” For the record, the states of my three favorite PR cities weren’t in the top or bottom 10–New York, 19th, California, 22th, and Illinois, 25th.
10 Worst States for Millennials
41. Florida
42. South Carolina
43. Arkansas
44. Oklahoma
45. Louisiana
46. Alabama
47. Nevada
48. Mississippi
49. West Virginia
50. New Mexico
Best vs. Worst
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of millennials, 34.98 percent, which is 1.7 times higher than in Maine, the lowest at 20.00 percent.
- North Dakota has the lowest share of millennials living with their parents, 15.63 percent, which is 2.9 times lower than in New Jersey, the highest at 45.49 percent.
- Minnesota has the highest millennial homeownership rate, 48.48 percent, which is 2.3 times higher than in the District of Columbia, the lowest at 20.73 percent.
- The District of Columbia has the highest average monthly earnings for millennials, $5,049, which is two times higher than in Mississippi, the lowest at $2,487.
- North Dakota has the lowest millennial unemployment rate, 3.70 percent, which is four times lower than in Mississippi, the highest at 14.90 percent.
For the record, when pressed by a Marquette senior last week, I added Washington, DC to my list of best cities for starting a PR career.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, visit: Best States for Millennials.