Little Rock, Arkansas – According to Forbes, Arkansas is emerging as a favored destination for young professionals to relocate. The magazine evaluated the 100 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States and ranked the combined Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Conway Metro in the top 10. This Central Arkansas region secured the tenth position on the list.
Forbes used a comprehensive assessment of 10 metrics across four key categories—employment and pay, housing affordability, lifestyle, and cost of living—to determine the rankings. The Natural State is proving to be a suitable environment for young professionals, as exemplified by 26-year-old Christian Wood’s experience.
Wood, who moved from South Carolina to Arkansas to pursue a career in insurance, highlighted the advantages of living in the state. He emphasized the ease of creating opportunities and connections in the region, making it an attractive place for young professionals to build their careers.
Forbes’ “Top 10 Places For Young Professionals To Live” list positions the combined metro area of Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Conway ahead of 90 other populous cities in the country. Despite this achievement, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. aims for even higher recognition and aims to make his city the number one choice for young professionals.
To achieve this goal, Mayor Scott emphasized the importance of utilizing the Arkansas River for downtown recreational activities, increasing the number of parks, ensuring affordable housing, and attracting major business headquarters. Maintaining a low cost of living is a critical aspect of this effort, with the current cost of living being around 17% lower than the national average. The metro area also boasts a low unemployment rate of 2.3%, ranking sixth-lowest among the 100 cities evaluated.
Mayor Scott stated that it’s his responsibility to drive growth in the city and foster a knowledge-based economy to secure future job opportunities. Over the past decade, Create Little Rock, a program associated with the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, has been working to attract and retain young professionals through networking and developmental initiatives.
Chelsea Boozer and Summer Khairi, both involved in these efforts, spoke highly of the city’s appeal. Boozer, who serves as chair, and Khairi, who connects professionals in the healthcare sector, highlighted the advantages of the city’s cost of living, ease of navigation, and family-friendly environment.
These young professionals are optimistic that with sustained improvement efforts and increased recognition, the region can achieve a top 5 ranking or better in the future. Their hope is that more young people will recognize the opportunities and advantages of living in the area, contributing to its continued growth and success.