What ‘80s fad has more staying power than disco or the mullet? The term “yuppie” and the group it describes.
Children of the 1980s yuppies are the young, urban, professionals of today. Today’s lexicon may occasionally use a different name with fuzzier definitions — millennials – but the sentiment is similar. Frequently, these adults utilize their college degrees at small start-ups in big cities and make comfortable incomes but rent housing instead of buying.
It’s no longer a career ladder, but a career jungle gym, and who wants to tie themselves to a mortgage with the possibility of jumping to a new job in two years?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, many yuppies congregate around cities such as Seattle and Boston, which have local universities and are large enough to provide ample career opportunity.
To find the yuppie capitals of America, FindTheHome used data from the American Community Survey to create a Yuppie Index that examines the density of people with a bachelor’s degree, the percent of the population between 20 and 34 years old, the percent of people renting and the average per capita income — the higher, the yuppier.
The 10 highest-ranking cities are the yuppie capitals of America.
Note: Only cities with populations of 100,000 people or over were considered. In the case of ties, the city with the largest population is ranked higher.
#10. Minneapolis, MN
Yuppie Index: 81.68
Percent with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 47
Average Per Capita Income: $32,232
Percent of Population Renting Housing: 51.4
Percent of Population Between 20-34 Years Old: 32.04
Population: 394,424
#9. Atlanta, GA
Yuppie Index: 81.76
Percent with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 47.1
Average Per Capita Income: $35,719
Percent of Population Renting Housing: 55.9
Percent of Population Between 20-34 Years Old: 30.23
Population: 440,641
#8. Boston, MA
Yuppie Index: 82.2
Percent with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 44.6
Average Per Capita Income: $34,770
Percent of Population Renting Housing: 65.8
Percent of Population Between 20-34 Years Old: 34.58
Population: 639,594
#7. Tallahassee, FL
Yuppie Index: 82.5
Percent with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 47.5
Average Per Capita Income: $23,942
Percent of Population Renting Housing: 59.4
Percent of Population Between 20-34 Years Old: 38.4
Population: 185,395
#6. Madison, WI
Yuppie Index: 83.27
Percent with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 55
Average Per Capita Income: $31,659
Percent of Population Renting Housing: 51.3
Percent of Population Between 20-34 Years Old: 34.55
Population: 239,848
#5. San Francisco, CA
Yuppie Index: 83.31
Percent with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 52.9
Average Per Capita Income: $49,986
Percent of Population Renting Housing: 63.4
Percent of Population Between 20-34 Years Old: 28.43
Population: 829,072
#4. Washington D.C.
Yuppie Index: 83.49
Percent with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 53.4
Average Per Capita Income: $46,502
Percent of Population Renting Housing: 58.4
Percent of Population Between 20-34 Years Old: 31.6
Population: 633,736
#3. Seattle, WA
Yuppie Index: 83.77
Percent with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 57.9
Average Per Capita Income: $44,167
Percent of Population Renting Housing: 53.8
Percent of Population Between 20-34 Years Old: 30.05
Population: 637,850
#2. Irvine, CA
Yuppie Index: 84.24
Percent with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 65.6
Average Per Capita Income: $43,456
Percent of Population Renting Housing: 50.8
Percent of Population Between 20-34 Years Old: 24.99
Population: 229,850
#1. Arlington, VA
Yuppie Index: 87.52
Percent with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 72
Average Per Capita Income: $62,854
Percent Renting Housing: 55.2
Percent Between 20-34 Years Old: 34.96
Population: 220,173
Research These Cities on FindTheHome
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