10 places in the US where young people are happy, rents are affordable, and jobs are plentiful

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10 places in the US where young people are happy, rents are affordable, and jobs are plentiful

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Pittsburgh tops the list.

If you're a millennial in search of a good place to live, you might find what you're looking for in Middle America.

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Despite stabilizing rent prices in popular coastal markets like New York City, Boston, and San Francisco, these places remain unaffordable for the average millennial.

Cities in the Midwest and South, however, offer affordable housing, stable and well-paying jobs, and a good quality of life.

That's according to a recent study by Apartment List, which evaluated the housing and job markets of popular US metro areas, as well as the satisfaction of residents there, to discover the best places for millennials to live.

To compile its ranking, Apartment List gathered the following metrics for the 75 largest US metro areas:

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  • Affordability: Median rents and the share of households that can afford the median-priced home. Based on data from Apartment List and Harvard JCHS 2017 State of the Nation's Housing Report.
  • Jobs: Median wages, wage growth, and the millennial unemployment rate. Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau data.
  • Livability: Renters' satisfaction with weather; access to parks community activities, and nightlife; opportunities to date and make friends; and safety and low crime rates. Based on Apartment List's annual survey of 24,000 renters.

Each of the categories was weighted equally to determine the final list. Below, take a look at the 10 best metro areas for millennials. On each slide, we've included the metro's score for each category, as well as median income and median rent.