For this week’s By the Numbers, we examined the regions with the highest density of creative talent.
Pulling data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census, we calculated the number of creative class members per sq. mile.
We ranked the top ten metros for each classification: large, medium, mid-sized and small.
The results were surprising!
Here’s a quick look at the top three for each metro size:
Large Metro: Million-Plus
1. Los Angeles, CA (281 Creative class per sq. mile)
2. New York, NY (269)
3. Washington, DC (226)
Medium Metro: 500K- Million
1. Bridgeport, CT (162)
2. New Haven, CT (92)
3. Akron, OH (89)
Mid-sized Metros 250K- 500K
1. Trenton, NJ (358)
2. Ann Arbor, MI (93)
3. Boulder, CO (74)
Small Metros: 250K- Smaller
1. Carson City, NV (50)
2. Santa Cruz, CA (42)
3. Elkhart, IN (42)
For a list of the top 10 for each classification, download the full-report. Download CCGCreativeDensity.pdf
For more information, about CCG services & research, contact David Miller.
Posted by: Steven Pedigo
July 19th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
I don’t know about the specific order, but this makes more intuitive sense than the “heat map” some weeks ago that didn’t show LA at all and showed the Deep South as denser than the West Coast.
July 19th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Yay density. Richard, Kevin, and I wrote a full paper on this very topic (now under review at the Annals of the Association of American Geographers). We found a relationship between metropolitan-level “creative density” (constructed by combining a number of density measures and the creative class) and innovative activity. Actually I think the manuscript is posted on the site here under it’s old title “Beyond Spillovers”.
July 19th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Let me speak up again for normalization. in general, people are going to care more about the ‘relative’ density of the creative class to the normal population, regardless of their preference for overall density.
In other words, does it really matter that much if there are 2x as many creatives per sq. mile if there are 3x as many non-creatives (meaning, only 2/3 as many creatives as share of population)?
July 20th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Way to go Trenton! This may be the first time that I can be proud to call it my hometown.
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Bridgeport, CT? This was the city that went bankrupt not too long ago. How has it turned it around? Anybody?