Gen Z taking hard pass on Toronto for 'closely knit' cities, report says

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Youth are taking a pass on Toronto.

In fact, smaller cities are attracting generation Z more than urban centres, including places like Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg.

According to an analysis by Point2Homes, an online real estate marketplace, Toronto ranked 32nd out of the biggest 50 cities based on 35 factors across four categories.

Those included financial security, cost of living, home price-to-income ratios and unemployment rates. Other metrics used in the analysis were access to medical professionals and mental-health services, air quality, walk scores and entertainment opportunities.

The data used in the analysis was taken from Statistics Canada’s 2021 census information.

According to the city readiness report, gen Z – defined as people born between 1997 and 2012 – is prioritizing mental health, financial stability and work/life balance. And big cities are not meeting those needs.

“The results indicate that gen Z’s values might push them away from large, bustling urban hubs and toward more closely knit communities,” the report said.

Leading the pack was St. John’s. Quebec was also the place to be for young professionals between 18 and 26 with eight cities in the top 10, including Quebec City and Montreal. Regina was ranked 10th.

Burlington was the top Ontario city at 13th.

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“Eager to leave their mark, young people could steer clear of the more traditionally successful cities and challenge themselves by cutting their own path and making it work in a new place,” the report said.

When looking at the priorities for gen Z, income, cost of living, house price-to-income ratio, share of gen Z population, perceived mental health and number of non-profit organizations stood out, the report said, as the group enters the workforce during turbulent economic times.

“Although many employers (and people, in general) believe that gen-Zers are mainly driven by unrealistic expectations and fantasies, the opposite seems to be true: Studies have shown that, both in the workplace and in their communities, gen-Zers know exactly what they want and they demand to be involved in the nitty-gritty and behind-the-scenes aspects for more control over their own lives,” the report said.