Each market's IDQ is the sum of these factors: Number of #1 "Best Companies to Work For" rankings (per 1 million population), Number of Top 10 "Best Companies to Work For" rankings (per 1 million population), percentage population 25+ that has graduated from high school (including equivalency), percentage population 18+ enrolled in college or grad school, percentage population classified as knowledge workforce, and patents issued per 1,000 residents.
We included mean annual wages for comparison purposes to illustrate the high caliber of our workforce without the high cost associated with a major metropolitan area.
- We produce more patents per 1,000 residents (1.07) than regions such as Raleigh, NC and Boston, MA
- A greater percentage of our population is classified as knowledge workforce (26.0%) than Minneapolis, MN and a greater percentage of our population older than 25 has a high school degree (34.9%) than Austin, TX or San Jose, CA
- And Rochester, NY is the only community in the country to be home to the best small, medium and large company to work for in America.
Sources:
Best Companies: Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, 2014, Great Places Institute, 2013
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates, July 2013
Knowledge Workforce: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2013
Educational Attainment and School Enrollment: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2012
Wage estimates: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2013
Patents: U.S. Patent and Trade Office
We have IDQ data available for 50 major metro areas. You may select up to 10 cities at a time.
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