Where Gen Z is Moving in 2020

Photo by Luke Bender

Originally Posted On: Where Gen Z is Moving in 2020 – The Cost Guys

Generation Z are quickly entering the workfoce and moving across the country. Just as millennials entered the workforce nearly a decade ago and reshuffled the country’s biggest population center, Gen Z is poised to do the same in the next 5 to 10 years. In these cities, Gen Z is beginning to take over.

One commonality of where Gen Z is moving is that they are going to smaller to mid-sized cities where the cost of living is cheaper. The only large metro areas which saw an increase in Gen Z population were Boston and Phoenix which ranked 96 and 56 respectively. In fact the average population of the ten cities that saw the largest Gen Z growth was around 304,000.

Here are the top cities where Gen Z is moving in 2020:

Lynchburg is Virginia’s 5th largest metro area, as well as America’s fastest growing Gen Z stronghold.The city of 260,000 can likely thank its Gen Z population growth to the numerous universities in the city. The reasonable cost of living also makes this smallish city an ideal place for Gen Zers to start their careers.

Situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the Huntington-Ashland metro area is the biggest in the region with Huntington being West Virginia’s second biggest city. Despite an overall population decline of 2.7% since 2015, this area has seen a 3.6% increase in its Gen Z population, making it the 2nd biggest city for Gen Z growth in the country.

The capital of New Jersey is often overshadowed by Newark and near by neighbor Philadelphia. This mid-sized city however is becoming a hot bed for Gen Z which has seen a 4.3% increase in its population despite its overall population declining by 0.8%.

Situated nearly equidistant from San Francisco and Los Angeles, this nearly 300 year old city has seen its Gen Z population boom in the past several years. The town has seen its Gen Z population grow by nearly 5% compared to just a 0.5% growth in the rest of its population. The city’s Gen Z growth may in part be due to Cal Poly being near the city.

This city home to several universities has seen its Gen Z population grow by 4.4% since 2015. In comparison, the rest of its population has only grown by 1% in that same time – making it have the 5th highest growth of any large metro are. In comparison, Detroit has seen a loss in 5.2% of it’s Gen Z population in that time.