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Members of Boston’s Millennial workforce value the MBTA over all else in choosing where to live, work and play, ranking it as the most important factor in a new survey from ULI Boston/New England and the MassINC Polling Group.
The survey polled 660 young professionals between the ages of 20 and 37 in the Greater Boston area.
The results found that 80 percent of respondents found access to public transportation “very important” in choosing a place to live. Seventy-eight percent reported that finding a workplace near public transit was also “very important,” outranking office amenities such as a cafeteria, gym or coffee bar and proximity to restaurants and nightlife options.
Additionally, the survey found that 66 percent of respondents rent their home and 45 percent plan on buying a home in the next five to 10 years; 30 percent of whom plan to purchase a single-family home. Results indicated that 14 percent of respondents live alone, 58 percent live with a partner or significant other and 25 percent live with roommates. On average, young professionals report spending 28 percent of their income on a rent or mortgage payment.
Seventy-three percent of young professionals also ranked paid family leave as the most important benefit their company could offer, second to a flexible work schedule.
Eighty-four percent have also reported using Uber, a ridesharing service.
ULI’s Young Leaders Group, a group of members under the age of 35, who work in real estate, finance and urban planning, conceived the survey.
“This survey data is incredibly pertinent to the continued development of this city. Understanding the preferences this group of professionals has on transportation, lifestyle, housing and employment can assist city planners, developers and employers shape our city landscape,” Taylor Shepard of CBRE|New England and co-chair of ULI/Boston’s Young Leaders Group, said in a statement.
All of the results from the survey are available on ULI/Boston’s website.
