Denver
Population: 649,495*
Median household income: $49,091**
Unemployment: 5.8 percent
Adult obesity rate for Colorado: 20.5 % (lowest in U.S.)
Did you know: Recreational marijuana is legal here.
Phoenix
Population: 1,513,367*
Median household income: $47,866**
Unemployment: 5.4%
Job growth forecast: Expected acceleration from 2.8% in 2013 to 3.2% in 2014.
Average temperature range in January: 46 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit
Average temperature range in July: 83 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit
Did you know: According to data compiled by the National Climatic Data Center, Phoenix basks in sunshine more often than any other major metropolitan area in the U.S. The sun shines on Phoenix during 85 percent of its daylight hours.
Washington, D.C.
Population: 646,449*
Bachelor’s degree or higher among persons aged 25 and older (2008-2012): 51.2%
Unemployment: 7.5
Median household income**: $64,267
Did you know: Between 2010 and 2012, DC had the highest net gain of Millennials of any U.S. city: more than 12,000 (according to The Atlantic).
Chicago
Population: 2,718,782*
Median household income: $47,408**
Unemployment: 8.4%
Housing in multi-unit structures (2008-2012): 70.6%
Persons per square mile (2010): 11,841
Did you know: Chicago’s central population grew 114% from 1990 to 2010, hitting 141,511, according to Northern Illinois University geographer Richard Greene. If counted separately, the greater Loop would be the sixth-largest municipality in the state.
Dallas/Fort Worth
Population (Dallas and Fort Worth combined): 2,050,403*
Population growth in Dallas (April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013): 5%
Population growth in Fort Worth (April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013): 6.8%
Median household income (Dallas): $42,436**
Median household income (Fort Worth): $51,105**
Unemployment rate (Dallas/Fort Worth): 4.7%
Did you know: Dallas is the birthplace of the Frozen Margarita cocktail, created in 1971 by restaurateur Mariano Martinez.
