Expert J. Walker Smith, Executive Chairman of The Futures Company, Dissects Metrics and Discusses Behavior of Boomer Population in New Feature Article on LifeGoesStrong.com
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 21, 2013-- A new research study, commissioned by the popular boomer lifestyle site LifeGoesStrong.com (
www.lifegoesstrong.com) and conducted by
Kelton, reveals that
Pittsburgh, PA is the BEST PLACE FOR BOOMERS TO LIVE, followed by
Portland-
South Portland-
Biddeford, ME,
Kingsport-
Bristol-
Bristol, TN/VA,
Youngstown-
Warren-
Boardman, OH/PA and
Rochester, NY.
Highlights from the Top 5 list include:
- Pittsburgh, PA – With the highest number of hospitals, airports, Amtrak stations, colleges and universities, the city scored high marks for proximity and snagged the overall best score with a good cost of living and reasonable housing prices.
- Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME – Touting the lowest violent crime and the lowest unemployment rates on the list, this Maine market guarantees residents high quality peace of mind.
- Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN/VA – This pocketbook friendly city boasts the lowest cost of living on the list.
- Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH/PA – Leaving none of the basics to be desired, this market touts the lowest home price on the list.
- Rochester, NY – This city combines good fundamental basics with high scores in accessibility and proximity, but comes with a price tag of high cost of living.
The standings, which take into consideration a series of ten metrics including cost of living, violent crime rate and proximity to hospitals, show that midlifers are making decisions with their pocketbooks first and foremost, over proximity to amenities, when determining which cities to live in.
J. Walker Smith, Executive Chairman of
The Futures Company, details the research in a new article on LifeGoesStrong.com.
“Census data tracking the moves people have made each year since the end of the Second World War show a sudden and dramatic spike in the early 1980s as we came of age,” Smith writes in the exclusive article. “Inevitably, though, with time and experience, this changed. Moves ebbed as we learned how much place matters, and now it matters more than ever. Looking ahead to retirement or second careers, place is foremost in the planning of midlifers.”
In the article, Smith breaks down the metrics to get to the heart of what midlifers really care about.
“This ranking belies the midlifers stereotype of spendthrift hedonists. Prudence tops the list; high living and highbrow fill out the bottom. In fact, this ranking reveals three underlying things that matter most to us about place: Pocketbook first. Peace of mind next. And only then, proximity to indulgences and amenities.”
According to
Ken Baron, Editorial Director for LifeGoesStrong.com, the research suggests that midlifers are changing their tune when it comes to location and straying from past stereotypes.
“As the longtime editorial director of Life Goes Strong, I am rarely, if ever, surprised by the thoughts or desires of my fellow baby boomers. But when it comes to where we want to live now that we are (or soon to be) grandparents, I was surprised to see that we midlifers value security (a low cost of living and crime rate) above more loftier endeavors (proximity to parks or higher education). In short, it seems the ‘me generation’ is getting a bit safe as we age, preferring comfort and security to adventure and the unknown. Heady stuff from a generation that once rocked out to the lyrics, ‘Hope I die before I get old!’”
For the full article from
J. Walker Smith, complete with breakdown and analysis of the BEST PLACES FOR BOOMERS TO LIVE list, including a round-up of the cities which ranked six through ten on the list, head to
http://lifegoesstrong.com/bestboomercities.
About the Research:
The LifeGoesStrong.com Boomer Research was conducted by Kelton between January 14th and February 12th. The project began with secondary research into the 10 MSAs with the highest concentration of Boomers, as defined by US News & World Report, to determine statistics for the following metrics that would factor into a decision of where to live: cost of living, violent crime rate, average home price, air quality, unemployment rate, walkability, number of hospitals, number of airports and Amtrak stations, number of colleges and universities, and number of state and national parks. Based on the distribution of the statistics within each metric across all 10 MSAs, these statistics were divided into thirds, with each third assigned a multiplier value of 0, 1, or 2, with “2” being the most desirable and “0” being the most undesirable.
An online survey among 678 nationally representative Americans ages 49-67 was conducted between February 4th andFebruary 11th. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population of Americans ages 49-67. Respondents were asked to rank each of the 10 metrics in order of their importance to their overall decision on where they would consider moving. The most important metric was given an overall mean importance value of 10 and the least important metric was assigned a value of 1. Scores were then tallied for each metric in each city, by multiplying the overall mean importance value by the multiplier value. Once all metric scores were calculated for each MSA, the scores were summed up, providing a list of the best MSAs for boomers to live.
About LifeGoesStrong.com:LifeGoesStrong.com (
www.lifegoesstrong.com) was launched in
May 2010 by Digital Works@NBCU, a division of iVillage Networks, as a vibrant online destination for adults between 48 and 67 years of age who are living well and going strong. A network of websites celebrating the topics and passions at the center of the boomer generation’s everyday lives, Life Goes Strong currently attracts over 1.5 million uniques a month, featuring verticals devoted to family, style, technology, health, home, work and play.
About Kelton:Kelton is a leading global insights firm serving as a partner to more than 100 of the Fortune 500 and thousands of smaller companies and organizations. Utilizing a wide range of customized, innovative research techniques and staff expertise in marketing, branding, PR, media, and business strategy;
Kelton helps drive our clients' businesses forward. For more information please visit Keltonglobal.com (
www.keltonglobal.com).
Source: Procter & Gamble
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