Quartz Names 10 U.S. Cities Poised for Opportunity in 2026
Quartz has identified ten U.S. metropolitan areas to monitor in 2026, highlighting their varied economies, access to universities, infrastructure, corporate investments, and overall quality of life. The emphasis has moved away from coastal hubs like New York and San Francisco towards regions in the South, Mountain West, and industrial Midwest, influenced by trends in remote work and housing expenses. Key cities on the list are Austin, which hosts tech companies and the University of Texas; Raleigh, home to North Carolina State University; Columbus, associated with Ohio State University and Intel's postponed production; Huntsville, linked to NASA; Boise, where Micron Technology is based; Chattanooga, known for gigabit internet; Grand Rapids, housing Steelcase; Tampa, which enjoys no state income tax; Minneapolis, with significant corporations; and Salt Lake City, the venue for the 2034 Winter Olympics.
Key facts
- Quartz published an unranked list of 10 U.S. cities worth watching in 2026, chosen for diversified economies, university ties, investment and quality of life
- Intel announced plans in 2022 for chip manufacturing northeast of Columbus and has pushed its production timeline back more than once
- Chattanooga's municipally owned EPB launched citywide gigabit internet service in 2010 over a fiber network built for the electric grid
- Huntsville passed Birmingham in the 2020 census to become Alabama's most populous city
- Volkswagen has assembled vehicles in Chattanooga since 2011
- Mazda Toyota Manufacturing began production at its Huntsville-area joint assembly plant in 2021
- Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and is scheduled to host the Games again in 2034
- Minneapolis-St. Paul is home to headquarters of Target, U.S. Bancorp, Best Buy, General Mills, UnitedHealth Group, 3M and Ecolab
Entities
Artists
- Prince
Institutions
- Quartz
- University of Texas at Austin
- Oracle
- Tesla
- Apple
- Texas Legislature
- South by Southwest
- North Carolina State University
- Duke University
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Research Triangle Park
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport
- Intel
- Ohio State University
- Nationwide
- Huntington Bancshares
- Cardinal Health
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- Rickenbacker International Airport
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport
- NASA
- Marshall Space Flight Center
- U.S. Army
- Redstone Arsenal
- FBI
- Cummings Research Park
- U.S. Space & Rocket Center
- Space Camp
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
- Mazda Toyota Manufacturing
- Micron Technology
- Boise State University
- Albertsons Stadium
- EPB
- Tennessee Aquarium
- Volkswagen
- Steelcase
- MillerKnoll
- Herman Miller
- Knoll
- Van Andel Institute
- Michigan State University
- Meijer
- Amway
- Founders Brewing Co.
- Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
- MacDill Air Force Base
- U.S. Central Command
- U.S. Special Operations Command
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Target
- U.S. Bancorp
- Best Buy
- General Mills
- UnitedHealth Group
- 3M
- Ecolab
- Guthrie Theater
- Walker Art Center
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- First Avenue
- University of Utah
- Brigham Young University
- Delta Air Lines
Locations
- United States
- New York
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- Austin
- Texas
- Raleigh
- North Carolina
- Durham
- Chapel Hill
- Columbus
- Ohio
- New Albany
- Dublin
- Huntsville
- Alabama
- Birmingham
- Seattle
- Boise
- Idaho
- Boise Foothills
- Bogus Basin
- California
- Washington
- Colorado
- Chattanooga
- Tennessee
- Tennessee River
- Lookout Mountain
- Tennessee River Gorge
- Nashville
- Atlanta
- Grand Rapids
- Michigan
- Zeeland
- Walker
- Ada
- Lake Michigan
- Chicago
- Detroit
- Grand River
- Tampa
- Florida
- Tampa Bay
- Miami
- Minneapolis
- St. Paul
- Minnesota
- Mississippi River
- Chain of Lakes
- Boston
- Salt Lake City
- Utah
- Wasatch Front
- Wasatch Range
- Provo
- Lehi
- Alta
- Snowbird
- Park City
- Salt Lake Valley
- Denver
- Boulder
- Washington, D.C.
Sources
- Quartz —