My own study of the distribution of college graduates in the cities and suburbs of America’s metropolitan areas, conducted with my Martin Prosperity Institute colleagues Charlotta Mellander and Kevin Stolarick, finds the concentration of college grads in the urban core to be especially advanced in America’s largest metro areas. Metro areas with more than 3 million people have nearly twice the density of college grads in their center cities than those with populations of 1 million to 3 million. As metro areas grow larger and more congested, more highly educated and affluent people seek more-central locations. When the alternative is hours of commuting on crowded highways and gridlocked streets, more people are willing to trade their lawns, soaring cathedral ceilings, and multiple bathrooms for a more efficient, less car-dependent way of life.

–Richard Florida