Study Names Most Affordable Metro Areas for Young People
Rove Lab ranked the 100 most populous U.S. metro areas on ten affordability metrics and weighted them in three categories: financial affordability at 60%, opportunity and access at 24%, and entertainment and dining at 16%. Within these categories, the metric with the heaviest individual weighted score was cost of living at 20%
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Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas, finished first with a score of 74.24, boosted by 20.5% wage growth between 2022 and 2025, an average annual wage of $77,165, and a cost of living 8.65% below the national average. The rent-to-income ratio is around 19%.
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos came in second at 73.93, driven by 8.7% employment growth and more than 30,000 vacant rental units.
The tail end of the top 30 holds the most surprises. San Jose ranks #21 and San Francisco #24, despite costs of living 10.42% and 15.61% above the national average. Average wages are $208,877 and $146,433, well above the average, which balances out the expenses.
