Only days after being named one of the “best big cities in the United States” by Condé Nast Traveler does Boston get an even bigger recognition as one of the world’s best cities! What a way for Boston to close out the year, as the 24th best city globally according to a comprehensive analysis of thousands of cities worldwide by Resonance Consultancy, an international organization with teams of leading advisors in tourism, real estate, and economic development.
How are the world’s best cities determined?
Resonance Consultancy evaluates 24 key factors using a combination of statistical performance and qualitative
evaluations by locals and visitors that are grouped into six core categories:
- Place (weather, safety, landmarks, outdoor life)
- Product (airport connectivity, attractions, museums, university rankings, convention center size)
- Programming (culture, nightlife, restaurants, shopping)
- People (labor force participation, average educational attainment)
- Prosperity (number of Global 500 corporate headquarters, GDP per Capita, employment rates, Income Equality)
- Promotion (Facebook check-ins, Google search frequency, TripAdvisor reviews, Instagram hashtags, Google Trends popularity)
Each category includes subcategories that significantly influence the quality of life for residents and tourists in addition to the future of said city. In order to qualify, a city must have a population greater than one million and be the principal metropolitan area of its region.
Boston as one of the “Top 100 Cities of 2024”
From thousands of cities condensed just 100 worldwide, Boston ranked among the top 40 at #36! Boston ranked #1 in the university focus category and #8 as the best GDP per Capita worldwide! Resonance Consultancy writes:
A hub of higher education and home to the 14th-most educated workforce on the planet, Beantown produces a steady stream of new talent to help attract start-ups and established companies alike. Future talent gravitates to Harvard, of course—the top-ranked university in the world—as well as to Boston’s density of other world-class universities and colleges. The region bursts with lecture halls, labs and classrooms for the more than 75 institutions of higher learning, energized by the estimated 200,000 postsecondary students creating stories, ideas, solutions and technologies with global influence. No wonder the city ranks #8 globally for GDP per Capita. The buildout of America’s newest (oldest) urban destination, buoyed by billions in federal stimulus funds, is also afoot. Hotel inventory is projected to grow by 5,000 new rooms by 2030, fueled by the 1,055-room Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport on the South Boston Waterfront near the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, and the first Raffles property in North America. The city’s cultural clout is also ascendant courtesy of the Fenway Sports Group and Live Nation’s new MGM Music Hall at Fenway, a 5,000-seat concert hall that extends the iconic ballpark.
Boston came in as #24 overall and further ranked as the #7 best city in America according to Resonance Consultancy. Our wicked awesome people, stellar education, and innovative corporations certainly prove that Boston is a great place to live, study, and visit.
The ten best cities in the world and other top performers
London came in as the best city worldwide for the eighth year in a row. Others among the top ten are:
- London
- Paris
- New York
- Tokyo
- Singapore
- Dubai
- San Francisco
- Barcelona
- Amsterdam
- Seoul
While other East Coast cities made it on the list like Washington D.C, Miami, and Baltimore, Boston is the only New England city to make it on the top 100. So don’t take this city for granted, get out there and explore it this year!