Top 5 US Cities for Creative Professionals in 2010

The truth is this: the economy really sucks almost everywhere right now. And when that happens, jobs go. And when jobs go, it’s often the “fluff” careers that take a hit first and hardest. And I know, I know – design jobs aren’t fluff. Sure, we know that but a lot of the rest of the world doesn’t. And creative jobs are diminishing right now. So even if you’re the most educated, talented, motivated creative professional in the world, you still need to do everything to you can to improve your chances of finding gainful employment. This includes strategic geographic positioning – go where the jobs are. Here’s a quick guide to the best cities in the United States for having a shot at making a good living as a designer: 1) New York I’m not even going to pretend that New York isn’t the best place to be if you want to maximize your design career. It is. I don’t even care if you’re a freelancer who works from home and is right now giving me serious side-eye and thinking, “Why the hell would I pay New York real estate prices when I can work from anywhere?” I’ll tell you why. First, not all design jobs are freelance. In fact, there are a lot of perks to holding an in-house position (stability, insurance, etc.) and NYC usually has about 4,000 design jobs at any given time. Second, even if you are a work-from-home designer, people find comfort in proximity. Often, what might make you win a gig over someone else is the fact that you’re close enough for the client to actually meet with face-to-face. With so many freelance gigs coming out of NYC, it helps to be where the action is – even if you rarely leave your home office. 2) California Yes, I’m just going to lump the whole state together; the advantages are the same whether you’re talking about San Fran or LA (although I’m personally biased toward San Francisco – it’s prettier). Simply put, there’s a reason why the West Coast is designer Mecca – great weather, nearly 5,000 design jobs, multiple cities of equal productive value to choose from, a median income among designers of $65,000 and beautiful weather to boot. Can’t really argue with any of that. 3) District of Columbia I probably wouldn’t have thought of this one but my secret sources and design recruiter spies have informed me that DC is a town whose design industry is about to boom in a major way. Actually, it kind of already is. Creative professionals are making salaries on par with NYC and California – and not yet competing with quite the same number of eager young designers. Bonus points if you love the thrill of hearing gunshots. 4) Austin I have a small grudge against Austin right now. So I’m not happy about putting it on this list. I’m upset because this Texas town has recently claimed several of my friends – creative folks are migrating there in hoards. As much as I miss my pals, I can’t really blame them; there is so much creative action happening in this hot little town, rent is still cheap enough, and there’s something strangely satisfying about holding down a serious creative island in the stormy Republican sea that is Texas. 5) Minneapolis I swear, I didn’t want to believe this either, but it seems that Minnesota has quite a bit to offer an employment-seeking designer. I think I’m going to have to research more to satisfy my personal curiosity as to why it’s true but all you really need to know is that there are jobs there. The median income for design professionals is between $50-60,000. But that doesn’t stop Minnesota from scaring me. Seriously, Fargo? Yeah. You guys go for it.