South Florida made the cut for Amazon’s second headquarters (HQ2). It’s one of 20 finalist cities that submitted proposals based on several metrics, including physical site space, transportation options and access to an educated work force.
That last factor may put the Miami metro area at a disadvantage, according to a new report by the Brookings Institution, “Where are college-educated millennials living?”
The study considered the largest 100 metropolitan areas in the country. The South Florida region (Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach) ranked 62nd, with just above 32 percent of millennials having college degrees.
That ranking makes the Miami bid last on the list of Amazon HQ2 finalists, after Los Angeles at No. 46 and Dallas at No. 47.
The retail giant chose 11 of the 20 “best-educated millennial areas,” according to the report. Boston ranks No. 1 overall with 58.5 percent of millennials having a college degree.
The state of Florida overall had some of the lowest percentages for college-educated millennials, whom the report defines as being between 25 and 34 years old. The bottom 10 cities include Cape Coral, Lakeland and North Port-Sarasota.
As of 2015-2016, Florida is home to 12 public universities and 28 state colleges. South Florida has four state colleges and two public universities, Florida International University in Miami and Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.
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