Raleigh-Cary #5 City for Designers and Artists

May, 12, 2009 , by Jedidiah

The Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan area was only beat out by Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and of course Austin, TX in the top cities for Designers and Artists in the US according to Art Bistro. The criteria included cities growth rates, average salaries, cost of living, average commute time, and the rate that unemployment has actually increased since February 2008.

To quote Art Bistro; “Why chase a great salary if your rent swallows most of it, unemployment is skyrocketing and you spend two hours a day just to get to and from work? So, which cities offer the most overall value in 2009?” So this essentially means that Raleigh is the number 5 city for artists and designers to move to. Bring ‘em on!

Speaking of local artists, Jason Craighead (pictured above) has released a new website.

Raleigh-Cary Metro Area Stats:
Population: 497,602 
Average Salary: $40,840 
Cost of Living Rank (in a 1-100 list): 46 
Average Commute Time: 20.9 minutes  
Job Growth Rank (in a list of 372 Highest Growth Cities): 38 
Unemployment Rate: 8.8

One of the nation’s top areas for overall growth, Raleigh-Cary shines with expected job growth in technology, tourism and academia. Home to one of the largest high-technology R&D centers in the world, our #5 pick is becoming a preferred location for cutting-edge technology and manufacturing firms. Its relatively low income to cost of living ratio and potential for growth definitely place it in the top tier.