Iowa’s capital city has landed another top ranking in Forbes magazine. The publication says the Des Moines metro is the best city in the nation for young professionals. Lauren Burt, spokesperson for the Greater Des Moines Partnership, says there are plenty of good job opportunities in Des Moines for recent college graduates.
“I think young professionals have a great opportunity to advance faster in their career (in Des Moines) and they have a great accessibility to quality of life,” Burt said. The editors of Forbes noted, across the nation, more than 2 million college educated workers 25 and older are unemployed – but the unemployment rate in Iowa is relatively low.
“And in Des Moines…we have about a 5.8 percent unemployment rate, which is so much lower than the rest of the country,” Burt said. “I think we have prevailed during the economic downturn.” The magazine claims Iowa’s capital city has the highest concentration of big businesses in the U.S. — with one for every 568 residents.
In addition, the article notes the median salary for college graduates between the ages of 24 and 34 in Des Moines is $47,200. In 2010, Forbes ranked the Des Moines metro as the number one city for business and careers. “When we have a ranking like this in such a strong national publication, it’s 100 percent positive for us,” Burt said. “I already received an email, right after the ranking came out, from an old friend from high school who found me on Facebook and said ‘I want to move back, I’m looking for a job and can you help me?’ So, I think the word travels very fast…and it’s all positive for business and for people wanting to relocate here to Des Moines.”
The Council Bluffs/Omaha area placed 5th on the list of best cities for young professionals. Raleigh, North Carolina placed 2nd behind Des Moines. Madison, Wisconsin and Salt Lake City, Utah round out the top four.
See the article on Des Moines here.