When it comes to one-word advice for professional success, "network" is probably second only to "location." Which is to say, networking is more easily done in certain areas than others. A new LinkedIn survey has pinpointed the best U.S. cities for networking by newcomers—the places where it's easiest to meet people and add LinkedIn connections. The study looked at 3 million people who relocated in 2021 and how fast they added those connections, in comparison to the national average, in their first 12 months. These are the cities that landed in the top 10.
10 | Dallas-Fort Worth
Shutterstock / Mihai_AndritoiuIn Dallas-Fort Worth, newcomers added LinkedIn connections at 7.8 times the national average, the survey found.
9 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale
littlenySTOCK / ShutterstockMiami-Fort Lauderdale edged out the Dallas metro for the #9 spot. Newcomers to town added to their networks at 7.9 times the national rate.
8 | Houston
ShutterstockIn Houston, new arrivals added to their networks at 8.2 times the typical pace nationwide.
7 | Washington D.C.
Orhan Cam/ShutterstockNewcomers to the nation's capital grew their connections at 8.3 times the national average.
6 | Chicago
Luis Boucault/ShutterstockArrivistes in the Windy City grew their networks at 8.4 times the typical national rate.
5 | Boston
Sean Pavone / ShutterstockNew residents of Boston networked at 8.6 times the U.S. national average.
4 | Los Angeles
ShutterstockNewcomers to L.A. grew their networks at 8.7 times the average in their first 12 months in the metro.
3 | Salt Lake City
Shutterstock / SkyBlodgettPerhaps surprisingly, Salt Lake City outpaced larger metros such as L.A., Boston, Chicago, and D.C. New residents added to their connections at 9.2 the U.S. average—a full half-point ahead of Los Angeles.
2 | San Francisco Bay Area
Scott Woodham Photography/ShutterstockPerhaps unsurprisingly, the tech capital of the nation landed in the #2 slot, with 9.5 times the network growth of what's typical nationwide.
1 | New York City
ShutterstockIf you can make it here, you can make it anywhere—but you can still meet more people here. New York City surged into the top spot for networking, with newcomers adding 11.1 times the connections in their first year than the national average.
