Top 10 Metros Ranked by Human Development, 2023, Boulder #1

[dimondpark]

This is a very interesting look at HDI from an article in Nature, one of the most respected scientific journals in the country. I can see how Boulder is #1 tbh, it's an extremely idyllic and well rounded place as far as education, income, quality of life.

Top 10 Metros Ranked by Human Development, 2023:
1 Boulder, CO
2 Corvallis, OR
3 Ann Arbor, MI
4 Iowa City, IA
5 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
6 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
7 Ames, IA
8 Lawrence, KS
9 Boston-Cambridge-Newtown, MA-HN
10 San Francisco-Oakland-CA

From the article:
Mapping the HDI of different metropolitan areas (left), allows us to observe which places lead solutions that promote greater human capabilities, and which lag...This pattern is clearer at the city level where “college towns” and urban areas with higher concentrations of education and research top HDI rankings, regardless of geography even in lower performing states. The top HDI micropolitan area is Los Alamos, NM.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00088-y

[xzmattzx]

Looks like it's mainly college towns.

It makes sense, as college towns are a nice size where you can walk to a lot of places, including work at the local university, and the university also means there's money flowing through town, both from employees like professors and students who don't have obligational finances like they will 10-20 years later. You also get a healthy dose of good restaurants because of the college scene, and you get cultural and sports amenities because of the school, too. A college town is also not going to have the ridiculous traffic like the beltways around DC or Baltimore, or the NJ Turnpike, or lengthy commutes by train like you might find in the most urban cities, since they are smaller.

I can also see why Bridgeport and Stamford could be on the list as well. It's a smaller city that is easier to navigate by car or public transportation, but you have good jobs there and plenty of amenities. I would think that other mid-sized cities within an hour or two of major cities but have their own corporate presence would also be higher up on this list, like Hartford, Wilmington, etc.