Half of young people in Atlanta are thinking about leaving the city
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Among major cities, Atlanta has the fifth-highest share of child-free young adults thinking about packing up and leaving, a new survey finds.
Why it matters: Lots of young people considering a move can signal bigger issues for a city, like a lack of perceived job opportunities or affordable housing.
Driving the news: Atlanta ranks fifth on the list, with 50% of young adults saying they're "likely" or "very likely" to leave town.
- The findings come from Gensler's survey of about 2,200 residents aged 18-34 with no children across 27 major U.S cities and conducted between July and November 2024.
- The question was open-ended, with no particular time frame on when respondents were thinking about moving.
- The findings are part of a broader report from the design and architecture firm's research wing, City Pulse 2025: The Magnetic City.
Zoom out: Baltimore ranks the highest with 62%, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina (about 58%), Miami (52%) and Detroit (52%).
- On the other end, San Diego (about 27%), Boston (28%) and Chicago (36%) have comparatively small shares of young adults with an eye toward the exit.
Between the lines: Young people with no kids — a particularly mobile demographic — think about moving cities for a variety of reasons, including career growth, cost of living and more.
What they're saying: Gensler's researchers thought the factors that attract people to cities in the first place would be the same that kept them there, but that wasn't the case.
- "What gets people to stay is less tangible, much more intangible," Sofia Song, global leader of cities research at Gensler's Research Institute, tells Axios.
- "It's about emotional connection," she says. "It's about being engaged in your city, feeling pride in your city, as well as having this growing sense of belonging."
The big picture: Housing affordability is a common pain point for metro Atlanta residents of all ages.
- An Atlanta Regional Commission survey released last month reported 62% of its respondents said they couldn't afford to move to another home or apartment in the neighborhood where they live.
- Earlier this year, the ARC said metro Atlanta lost 230,000 low- to moderately priced housing units between 2018 and 2023.
💠Kristal's thought bubble: I see a lot of young people talking on social media about how Atlanta isn't what they thought it would be and how much they hate it.
- My advice to them would be to find people who have similar interests and explore areas outside your neighborhood.