Mid-Sized Cities May Get Even Bigger In 2021 and Beyond

• • • • • •

As part of our commitment to putting the voice of your customers right at your fingertips, Suzy will provide continual updates on consumer sentiment and behavior during the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. Check out our COVID-19 Consumer Insights hub for more stats, webinars, and more.

The closest metropolitan area to your home often influences everything from the local news you consume to the sports teams you’re likely to follow. As anyone from New Jersey can tell you, it can even affect which region you say you’re from. That’s why when people use the phrase “I’m going into the city,” it’s rare to hear anyone follow up with “Which one?” Most of us already know based solely on where we are at that moment — New York if you’re in North Jersey and Philly if you’re in South Jersey, for example. (What constitutes “central” New Jersey is a whole other, messier conversation.) 

But what happens when you ask someone to think more abstractly, about “a” city instead of “the” city? The place that comes to mind first might be farther outside of their own personal experience and more a reflection of the most dominant cities in their larger culture; after decades of media exposure, even someone in Yellowstone County, Montana might think of New York City before they think of Billings. In this urban hierarchy, the more populated a city is, the larger sphere of influence it has over its environment. More importantly, the more likely it is to stay big as a direct result of that influence.

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak completely disrupted our overall way of life, the population growth of giant cities like New York City’s growth rates had started to dip — and in their place, mid-size cities like Louisville, Kentucky, or Madison, Wisconsin were becoming more popular. But will fear of another pandemic halt this trend in its tracks and usher in a newfound desire for the space, safety, and comfort of suburbs?

So far, that doesn’t seem likely. Although 84% of Americans live in urban areas, most are located in outer limits of their respective cities — not the suburbs, per se, but not in the middle of downtown, either. And right now, they’d prefer to keep it that way; only 15% of the metropolitan-dwelling panel from Suzy’s verified consumer network said they’d consider moving to a more suburban or rural location as a result of the pandemic, and 51% said they’d prefer to stay where they live now, compared to 49% who would consider moving to a different city.

So maybe there won’t be a mass exodus of city slickers to small country towns anytime soon. However, it’s still possible — and perhaps even more likely — that people in hugely packed populations in New York or Los Angeles might consider swapping out for a smaller city like Nashville, Toledo, or Cleveland. As the availability of remote work continues to increase (especially for companies in the tech industry, which smaller cities often entice with incentives to establish new jobs there) and as corporations like Jet Blue, Sephora, and other big businesses expand their services into smaller cities, these mid-tier destinations will start to represent the best of both worlds for experience-seeking millennials — all the excitement and community of urban living, but with a cheaper cost of living.

To learn more, access the full recording of our “State of Consumer: The Future of NYC” webinar, or contact us to launch your own questions with Suzy.