Only months 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 kick off the New Year, as the 36th 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 2023”
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 11th-best-educated workforce on earth, Beantown produces a steady stream of new talent to help attract startups and established companies alike. Future talent gravitates to Harvard, of course—America’s top school (and a big reason why the city is #1 in our University subcategory and scored #34 globally in our overall Product category). The city is bursting with lecture halls, labs and classrooms for the more than 75 institutions of higher learning in the area and is energized by the estimated 200,000 post-secondary students (many who are excitedly back in the city after two-anda-half years away) creating stories, ideas, solutions and technologies that will help drive the economy and incubate innovation districts nationally and globally for decades to come.
Boston came in as #36 overall and further ranked accordingly in the six individual categories mentioned above:
#128 for Place (weather, safety, landmarks, outdoor life)
#34 for Product (airport connectivity, attractions, museums, university rankings, convention center size)
#72 for Programming (culture, nightlife, restaurants, shopping)
#31 for People (labor force participation, average educational attainment)
#14 for Prosperity (number of Global 500 corporate headquarters, GDP per Capita, employment rates, Income Equality)
#45 for Promotion (Facebook check-ins, Google search frequency, TripAdvisor reviews, Instagram hashtags, Google Trends popularity)
Maybe our frequent nor’easters and unpredictable weather brought our “place” ranking down, but 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 seventh year in a row. Others among the top ten are:
- London
- Paris
- New York
- Tokyo
- Dubai
- Barcelona
- Rome
- Madrid
- Singapore
- Amsterdam
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 2023!