September 29th, 2009

America’s Best Affordable Places to Retire

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Specialist

An astounding 93% of the growth in the U.S. labor force through 2016 will be among workers over 55, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. With more Americans delaying retirement, U.S. News & World Report chose to focus on affordable destinations in the third annual Best Places to Retire list.

The 2009 Best Affordable Places to Retire, powered by Onboard Informatics demographic and economic indicators, reflects the shifting expectations of retirees. Rather than focusing on popular (and pricey) retirement hubs, U.S. News selected affordable high-value spots with great amenities. In order to make the cut, cities needed high-quality healthcare and elder-care facilities and outstanding cultural and learning programs.

The analysis didn’t stop there. The U.S. News editorial team conducted interviews with residents in the top towns to get a true picture of each city.

Tucson offers great outdoor activities and affordable housing for retiring seniors.

Realizing that retirement goals are extremely personal, the new U.S. News package also includes an interactive search tool for retirees to find towns that conform to their lifestyle needs and preferences.

The Best Places to Retire search application weighs a user’s criteria against a database of 2,000 places with populations of at least 10,000 and crime equal to or below the national average. Complete methodology is found here.

Listed alphabetically, here are the top 10 places to retire:

• Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Asheville, North Carolina
• Aurora, Colorado
• Columbia, South Carolina
• Columbus, Ohio
• Eugene, Oregon
• Fort Worth, Texas
• Jacksonville, Florida
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Tucson, Arizona

The Best Affordable Places, featured in October’s U.S. News & World Report magazine, hit newsstands today.

Tags: Best Affordable Places to Retire, Best Places, community data, neighborhood data, relocation, US News.

September 18th, 2009

Top Cities for Political Junkies

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Specialist

If political involvement ranks high in your value system, you’re likely compelled to live in the company of like-minded peers to engage and organize with. In its latest community feature, U.S. News points its lens at the top 10 Cities for Political Junkies for all those who prefer C-SPAN and Gallup to ESPN and E!.

The list is based primarily on Onboard Informatics data measuring household involvement in current events and political affairs. U.S. News screened the index for cities and towns with populations of more than 50,000 and further filtered the towns using voter registration statistics. The list is hardly a relocation tool for the far ends of the political spectrum; what the editorial team uncovered in their search were patches of purple.

“Although polarization might be ubiquitous on television, in blogs, and on the radio, it does not follow that the most politically active and politically interested people live in polarized communities, interacting only with those who agree with them. When U.S. News looked for the places where residents have the greatest interest in political affairs, it wasn’t the heavily red or blue areas that popped up. Sure, there are plenty of political junkies in very liberal places like Portland, Ore., or very conservative places like small towns in Texas, but the places on our list are in more purple regions: Orange County, Calif., an area that is red relative to its deep-blue home state, or Fairfax County, Va., a county that traditionally elects Republicans but went heavily for Obama in the last presidential election.”

The slideshow feature details why places like San Ramon, CA and Brookline, MA are perfect for political gurus.

Tags: community data, relocation, US News.

September 16th, 2009

U.S. News’ Best Places for Tech Jobs

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Specialist

Using Onboard Informatics data, U.S. News & World Report introduced another set of its influential Best Places lists. The newest edition offers the Best Places for Tech Jobs for all the engineers and IT experts out there looking for a new gig.

“It’s a recession, so few things are booming and no city is exactly thriving. But within the tech industry, some cities clearly have more job opportunities than others. Although tech employment overall has suffered along with the rest of the economy, there’s been variance: High-tech manufacturing jobs have been shed more rapidly, while IT service jobs—in engineering and in software services, for instance—have fared better. And one future bright spot: Over the next three years, the federal government is projected to make 11,500 new hires in information technology jobs, according to a report by the Partnership for Public Service.”

Check out which cities made the list and how U.S. News narrowed down the initial list of 2000 cities.

Tags: Best Places, Best Places to Live, relocation, technology, technology jobs, US News.

August 28th, 2009

America’s Best Places to Find a Job 2009

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Specialist

Is the American economy rebounding or not? The most trusted media outlets are constantly debating the answer to the question on everyone’s mind in some capacity. At Onboard Informatics, we understand the key to success in analyzing the economic climate is to do so at the most granular level.

Our client U.S. News & World Report also values the evidence of comparing local economies, and has done so in their list of America’s Best Places to Find a Job 2009. Onboard’s data and algorithm powered this expansion of U.S. News’ “Best Places” series.

U.S. News & World Report's 10 Best Places to Find a Job.

U.S. News evaluated unemployment rates, job growth, and career opportunity data in over 2,000 cities before editors chose the top cities, listed alphabetically:

• Anchorage, AK
• Arlington, VA
• Columbus, OH
• Honolulu, HI
• Houston, TX
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Shreveport, LA
• Tallahassee, FL
• Wichita, KS

Be sure to read the article for the reasons why each city is a promising place to start a career. Additionally, seasoned professionals and fresh graduates alike can find the best place to work for their lifestyle and quality-of-life preferences with U.S. News’s online search tool.

Tags: Best Places, US News.