Survey: Half of Detroit's young adults may leave

More than half of Detroit's childless young adults are thinking about packing up and leaving, a new survey finds.

Why it matters: Despite recent population gains, local leaders remain concerned about Detroit's ability to attract and retain younger residents.

Between the lines: Lots of young people considering a move can signal bigger issues for any given city, like a lack of perceived job opportunities or affordable housing.

Zoom out: Baltimore tops the list, with about 62% of young adults saying they're "likely" or "very likely" to leave town.

• That's followed by Charlotte (about 58%), Miami (52%) and Detroit (52%).

The other side: San Diego (about 27%), Boston (28%) and Chicago (36%) have comparatively small shares of young adults with an eye towards the exit.

How it works: That's based on Gensler survey data covering 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.

State of play: 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. It's about being engaged in your city, feeling pride in your city, as well as having this growing sense of belonging."