In 1985, telecommunications knowledgeable and advisor Invoice Lewis wrote a information article through which he first coined the time period ‘networking’ to explain interactions between people seeking to strengthen their companies. The time period caught on, because it offers a reputation to one of the crucial vital steps for the success of each corporations and professionals. And, in gentle of the rising pattern in direction of hybrid work, being purposeful about one’s networking efforts has turn into much more essential in profession development and an organization’s success.
So, as a result of cities play a giant half in nurturing a business-friendly atmosphere and creating the areas and alternatives that incentivize folks to return collectively, we determined to take a look at the highest 20 U.S. cities for networking.
Nonetheless, our goal was to look past the apparent pull of New York Metropolis for all issues enterprise associated. To that finish, we checked out cities with greater than 200,000 residents and ranked these throughout three compound metrics – networking alternatives; social and financial; and event-hosting capabilities – every of which in flip had varied factors allotted to their particular indicators. For extra particulars, please learn our methodology part.
Notably, the nationwide rating revealed just a few attention-grabbing highlights, corresponding to Houston main the record with a complete of 66 factors. Nonetheless, trying on the highest-ranking entries for every of the compound metrics, we discover Denver in first place for the networking class; San Francisco main the social and financial index; and Houston dominating the record for occasion venues.
Breaking down every of those three broad metrics, there’s all kinds of cities occupying the highest spots for every particular person indicator. As an example, whereas Denver ranked first for its variety of networking occasions, it was Houston and Los Angeles that ended up with the best rating for the opposite metrics on this group – job openings and energetic companies inside the bigger metropolitan space.
In the meantime, the research additionally included a social and financial compound metric as professionals depend on details about what a metropolis has to supply by way of common wages, employment and the vibrancy of the native enterprise panorama and expertise pool to gauge a few of the advantages they may achieve by means of their networking efforts.
San Francisco was on the prime of the record for the common annual wage, whereas the unemployment charge – one other indicator inside the social and financial class – was the bottom in Charlotte amongst entries in our record. On the alternative coast, Seattle landed in first place for its proportion of residents older than 18 with a bachelor’s diploma, whereas Las Vegas outranked vital enterprise powerhouses – and went head-to-head with the darling of the startup scene, Austin, Texas – for the proportion of recent corporations (as much as 5 years’ price of exercise) inside its general enterprise panorama.
Lastly, as if a reminder of Southern hospitality, the occasion venue index was dominated by Houston. The town not solely collected the best variety of factors for the general class, however it additionally ranked first for 3 of its element metrics – resorts, coworking areas and eating places. The one metric through which Houston was nowhere close to the highest spot was the overall variety of occasion promoters, through which case Los Angeles led the record.
Hold studying for extra highlights on the highest 20 greatest cities for networking throughout the U.S. as we zoom in on varied areas and look at the performances of every entry throughout our metrics.
Houston, Austin, Dallas & San Antonio Present High Networking Hubs for Corporations & Professionals Throughout the West South Central Area
Houston was the highest-ranking member of the Texas quartet that made its method into the nationwide prime 20. Particularly, the town garnered a complete of 66.1 factors, incomes a first-place end for its wealth of areas that individuals seeking to community can use – with roughly 630 resorts, 147 coworking areas and greater than 6,000 eating places and bars – and second place for the networking alternatives obtainable regionally.
Whereas Houston was among the many prime 10 by way of its proportion of startups (with 39% of companies registered at the moment having fewer than 5 years’ price of exercise) the town’s remaining performances throughout the composite social and financial indicator resulted in a way more modest seventeenth place.
Subsequent, though Austin ranked fifth within the prime 20 and Dallas ended up three locations additional down in eighth place, the race between these two Texas cities throughout the three composite metrics has been fairly fierce. In truth, Austin solely managed to garner a 0.6-point benefit over Dallas for its networking alternatives.
Furthermore, the margins have been even thinner by way of the varied devoted areas for networking occasions inside the two cities. Nonetheless, this time, Dallas loved a slight benefit because it managed to outrank Austin for the variety of coworking locations, resorts, eating places and consuming locations that may host or be the impromptu location for networking.
Ultimately, the 2 entries’ performances throughout the composite social and financial metric ended up being the deciding issue. In consequence, Austin boosted its whole rating with an extra 21 factors (out of a most of 30 factors for this indicator) – to complete with 56.7 factors.
Professionals attempting to evaluate future profession alternatives of their metropolis can be delighted to know that Austin had the second highest proportion of startups and new companies inside the rating (43%), in addition to the third lowest unemployment charge (5.3%). Austin additionally positioned fourth by way of its residents’ instructional attainment ranges, with almost 56% of its inhabitants older than 18 having earned not less than a bachelor’s diploma.
The final member of the Texan foursome within the rating was San Antonio in nineteenth place. The town’s greatest displaying was for its event-hosting capabilities, the place it ranked eleventh, with the second highest variety of resorts amongst entries within the prime 20. It additionally claimed extra consuming and consuming institutions that have been capable of accommodate networking occasions than each Austin and Dallas.
Atlanta Leads Amongst South Atlantic Entries; Washington, D.C. Narrowly Misses Nationwide High 10
Regardless of ending fourth amongst prime 20 cities for networking, Atlanta was the highest-ranking entry throughout the South Atlantic area. Extra exactly, the town bagged 57.9 factors, by incomes fourth place throughout its networking and event-hosting indicators and a fifth-place end for its social and financial metric.
Since their inception, coworking areas have prided themselves on their means to extend collaboration, in addition to facilitating networking. And Atlanta is primed to supply loads of these advantages to professionals and companies alike because it boasted the second-highest variety of coworking areas throughout the highest 20, outranking areas corresponding to Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Atlanta additionally has the fifth highest variety of networking occasions for entrepreneurs and companies looking for expertise. Clearly, A-City is doing an incredible job at linking up professionals with employers as the town additionally had the second lowest unemployment numbers throughout our record.
On the similar time, Washington, D.C. simply missed the highest 10 on the nationwide stage, occupying eleventh place with a 47.6-point whole. Whereas its performances throughout the aggregated indicators have been stable, they weren’t significantly excellent as its greatest displaying being a sixth-place end for its social and financial metric.
Nonetheless, a extra in-depth take a look at the person gadgets that made up these composite indicators revealed some noteworthy highlights. As an example, these incomes a dwelling within the nation’s capital can stay up for having the second-highest common annual wage as a reference level ($83,900). Moreover, Washington, D.C. additionally ranked third by way of its proportion of residents with not less than a bachelor’s diploma (58%), in addition to fifth for the overall variety of energetic companies on the metropolis and metro stage.
Charlotte ranked 14th with a complete of 41 factors collected for its performances throughout the three composite metrics we analyzed. The town’s greatest displaying was in its social and financial indicators – which included a first-place end for the bottom unemployment charge within the rating – and supplied a big share of Charlotte’s closing rating.
Three Floridian cities from the South Atlantic area made the reduce with Tampa as the best rating of the lot. With a mean annual wage across the $58,000-mark, the fifth lowest unemployment charge on the record and 39% of its enterprise ecosystem consisting of startups and new enterprises, the town secured fifteenth place.
On the similar time, Miami was in sizzling pursuit of its in-state neighbor. However as a result of tight race within the decrease half of the highest 20, it misplaced out to Las Vegas and ended up in seventeenth place. Unsurprisingly, Miami carried out rather well by way of its event-hosting capabilities: it was the house of fourth-highest variety of occasion promoters, forward of cities corresponding to Atlanta, Austin or Houston. Throughout the social and financial composite metric, Miami did effectively for its proportion of startups inside the native economic system – the fifth highest, at 40%.
Lastly, Orlando landed in 18th place, garnering 37.8 factors. As soon as once more, regardless of rating within the decrease half of the highest 20 throughout the three combination indicators, the town confirmed glimpses of top-level performances for particular person standards. As an example, by way of occasion venues that might host deliberate or advert hoc networking, Orlando boasted almost 300 such locations, incomes the Floridian a fourth-place end for this metric.
Los Angeles Earns Third-Place End Amongst High Cities for Networking; San Francisco Tops Social & Financial Index
The Western Pacific area contributed the second highest variety of entries to the record of prime cities for networking. Specifically, among the many 5 cities from this a part of america, three have been from California, with Los Angeles rating the best. The town landed in third place general, with a complete of 59.3 factors.
Notably, Los Angeles was the runner-up behind Houston for the compound event-hosting indicator. On this case, its place close to the highest was cemented by nice performances for its variety of occasion promoters (first place), resorts and eating places (third place for each). What’s extra, coworking areas in Los Angeles present one more platform for internet hosting enterprise and entrepreneurship-related occasions.
Then, by way of networking alternatives, Los Angeles landed in fifth place, because of its sturdy enterprise panorama – with roughly 281,000 energetic corporations inside the Los Angeles metropolitan space. As well as, the town gives enticing employment alternatives, as Los Angeles had the fifth highest variety of job openings throughout the highest 20.
To the north, Seattle secured seventh place after garnering 53.4 factors, with the town’s displaying throughout the social and financial indicators enjoying a key function within the closing tally. Particularly, Emerald Metropolis ranked third for this compounded metric, inside a hair’s breadth of San Francisco and Austin. Seattle had the best proportion of residents with not less than a bachelor’s diploma inside the prime 20 — in addition to the fourth-most beneficiant common annual wage — which is bound to make this an attractive prospect for career-minded professionals. Whereas the town got here in second for the variety of networking occasions it hosted, its extra modest showings for the remaining parts of this compounded metric meant that it ended up with a seventh-place end for its networking alternatives.
Again in California, San Diego’s ninth-place end was marked by a “by no means too excessive, by no means too low” efficiency throughout the three fundamental classes. Right here, the town’s greatest end was for the social and financial compound metric with its common annual wage of roughly $71,000 being amongst its extra exceptional showings (to be exact, the sixth-highest amongst prime 20 entries). And, for the networking alternatives class, San Diego managed a fourth-place end.
In contrast, San Francisco (in tenth place general) had a way more up-and-down trajectory. For instance, for its networking alternatives indicators, San Francisco solely managed fifteenth place, whereas concurrently acing its social and financial index record. This was due primarily to it claiming the best common wage inside the record ($94,000 per yr), in addition to the second-highest stage of instructional attainment with 59% of individuals older than 18 having not less than a bachelor’s diploma. Lastly (and considerably surprisingly given its status as a startup magnet), the town was solely sixteenth on this class, with new corporations making up 36% of the metro’s economic system.
The final entry from the Western Pacific area was Portland, Ore., in thirteenth place with a complete rating of 42.4 factors. Inside the networking alternatives class, the town’s highest-ranking indicator was for its variety of occasions, whereas throughout its social and financial index it was its instructional attainment efficiency that stood out (seventh-highest).
Denver Leads Nationally for Most Networking Alternatives; Phoenix & Las Vegas Occupy Decrease Half of Rating
The West Mountain area had three entries unfold throughout totally different rungs of the tier record. On the greater finish, Denver challenged Houston for the title of the main metropolis for networking, whereas Phoenix missed the highest 10. Conversely, Las Vegas occupied its place within the decrease half of the rating.
Denver snatched second place by scoring 60.7 factors as the highest earner for networking alternatives inside the record, in addition to the fourth highest-ranking entry throughout the social and financial index. Going extra in depth, Denver’s $71,790 common annual wage places the town’s residents among the many highest incomes on the record. And with almost 40% of companies within the wider metropolitan space being lower than 5 years previous, there’s sturdy demand for a extremely expert workforce, which Denver’s instructional attainment ranges are primed to satisfy (52% of residents older than 18 have not less than a bachelor’s diploma or greater).
In twelfth place, Phoenix racked up vital factors throughout its networking and social and financial indexes, as effectively, though it was under common for its event-hosting metrics. The town had the seventh-highest variety of job openings inside the rating on the finish of the second quarter of 2023 to complete forward of the likes of San Francisco, Denver and Boston. Moreover, the unemployment charge hovered across the 6% mark in Phoenix — the sixth-lowest within the prime 20.
Maybe stunning given Las Vegas’ place in sixteenth place, the town boasted the identical proportion of recent companies inside its native economic system as Austin – a number one U.S. startup hub for a number of years now. In response to information supplied by the U.S. Census’ Enterprise Dynamics Statistics, simply over 43% of the businesses working within the wider Las Vegas metro space have been startups and new companies (energetic for lower than or as much as 5 years).
Chicago Lands in sixth Place for Nice Networking Alternatives & Occasion Internet hosting Capabilities
The Midwest and Northeast managed just one entry every on this rating: Chicago was comfortably in sixth place with 55.5 factors, whereas Boston closed out our record with a 37.4-point tally.
In Chicago’s case, it was the factors picked up for its networking and event-hosting capabilities indexes that helped it nab sixth place. What’s extra, with roughly 174,000 corporations energetic inside its higher metro space — the second-highest quantity among the many 20 entries — Chicago can also be producing loads of employment alternatives. In truth, there have been 59,688 job openings as of Q2 2023, with Houston being the one different entry on the record outranking the Windy Metropolis in that class. Chicago was additionally spoiled for selection when it got here to occasion venues because it had podium finishes for its variety of occasion promoters, in addition to coworking and eating places areas obtainable for networking.
Lastly, though Boston ended up in twentieth place, it boasted the third-highest common wage within the rating ($80,810 per yr) and a top-half end for its instructional attainment ranges with roughly 48% of its residents older than 18 having a bachelor’s diploma.
Methodology
We ranked the highest 20 cities for networking within the U.S. (outdoors of New York Metropolis) based mostly on 11 choose indicators grouped into three compounded metrics. Every metropolis might rating between zero and most factors throughout every class. Factors have been awarded straight proportional for every metric, aside from the unemployment charge, for which decrease values obtained greater marks.
Our research excluded cities with populations under the 200,000 mark (per U.S. Census information as of December 31, 2021).
The three compounded metrics have been as follows:
Networking Alternatives – most obtainable rating of 45 factors unfold throughout the next three indicators:
“Networking occasions” reveals the variety of listed networking occasions throughout the month of July (information pulled from Meetup on July 6). The utmost weight for this metric was 25 factors.
“Job openings” signifies the overall variety of open job listings as of Q2 2023 (information pulled from Glassdoor on June 30). The utmost weight for this metric was 15 factors.
“Corporations inside metro space” represents the overall variety of corporations inside a metropolis’s metro space, as recorded within the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Enterprise Dynamics Statistics. The report gives annual measures of enterprise dynamics (corresponding to job creation and destruction; institution births and deaths; and agency startups and shutdowns) for the economic system general and aggregated by institution and agency traits.
Notice: For the “Corporations Inside Metro Space” indicator, if two or extra cities have been a part of the identical metro space, they obtained the identical variety of factors.
Social & Financial – most obtainable rating of 30 factors unfold throughout 4 indicators:
“Annual imply wage” was per 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics information. The utmost weight for this metric was 10 factors.
“Academic attainment” reveals the proportion of the inhabitants older than 18 with a bachelor’s diploma or greater, per the U.S. Census Bureau (2021). The utmost weight for this metric was 5 factors.
“Unemployment charge” represents the proportion of unemployed folks 16 years of age or older, per the U.S. Census Bureau (2021). This indicator is inversely proportional (the decrease the worth, the upper the rating). The utmost weight for this metric was 5 factors.
“% new companies” signifies the share of companies which have between zero and 5 years’ price of exercise out of the overall variety of corporations inside a metropolis’s metro space, as recorded within the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Enterprise Dynamics Statistics. The utmost weight for this metric was 10 factors.
Occasion-Internet hosting Capabilities – most obtainable rating of 25 factors unfold throughout 4 indicators:
“Resorts” signifies the variety of lodge institutions, outlined by NAICS code 721110: Resorts (besides On line casino Resorts and Motels). Values sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 County Enterprise Patterns. The utmost weight for this metric was 5 factors.
“Coworking areas” represents the variety of coworking listings per the newest CommercialEdge information. The utmost weight for this metric was 10 factors.
“Eating places & consuming locations” is outlined by NAICS codes 7224 – Ingesting Locations (Alcoholic Drinks), and 7225 – Eating places and Different Consuming Locations. Values sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 County Enterprise Patterns. The utmost weight for this metric was 5 factors.
“Occasion promoters” is outlined by NAICS code 7113 – Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports activities and Related Occasions. Values sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 County Enterprise Patterns. The utmost weight for this metric was 5 factors.
