Massachusetts: New England’s College Dynasty
Home of the Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox and of course the winners of this year’s Stanley Cup, the Boston Bruins, Massachusetts is also home to 125 colleges and universities and over 668,000 18-24 year-olds. Boston, dubbed America’s College Town, is comprised of more than a quarter of all of Massachusetts’s higher education institutions, 30 are recognized as public institutions and 95 are private. Massachusetts surpasses the nation’s average college enrollment per state. 354,207 students were enrolled last year in undergraduate programs, while over 114,000 geared up for graduate classes.
Fifty-two schools, religious, art and film focused, business oriented, or highly reputable for their medical programs are located among the historical city of Boston. Other areas with large college and university volumes are Worcester, Amherst, Springfield, and Lowell. The University of Massachusetts has five locations throughout the state with the largest enrollment in Amherst, nine publically held state colleges, and over a dozen community colleges.
Boston is the college capital of the nation, but cities like Worcester and Springfield attract attention with institutions like Springfield College, American International, Worcester State, Clark U, Holy Cross, and Assumption College. Attracting a variety of different demographics, Massachusetts’s major college cities are prime target arenas for advertisers of regional and local businesses. The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy vicinity contains more than 1.5 million people between the ages of 18 to 44, accounting for the largest age demographic in that particular area; additionally 36% of Worcester’s population accounts for individuals within the college market. As college students account for a great amount of Massachusetts’ spirit and promising future, marketing and advertisements geared towards the college demographic have the ability to not only resonate with a large population of people, but also ensure longevity in their consumer base, as many who migrate to these metropolitan areas for school, whether it is from across the country to a neighboring Massachusetts community, young professionals seek out regional and local restaurants and businesses to unite with.
Massachusetts is among the top ten wealthiest states in the nation with a per capita household income of $59,732. This may be attributable to the Bay State as being indexed as the third best educated state in the country, as well as the third highest population density. Seemingly, Massachusetts is a desired destination not only for college entrants, but to make a living after graduation, as many flourishing companies are headquartered in Massachusetts. Several Fortune 500 corporations such as Raytheon, TJX, Staples Inc and Thermo Fisher Scientific conduct business within the state’s borders. There are also hundreds of prestigious graduate schools and programs such as co-ops and internships offered that entice students to stay and work locally when they graduate.
The state dubbed “The Spirit of America” truly embodies this mantra, as young, ambitious individuals come for an opportune education in a wealthy and ambitious atmosphere. Beantown’s cobblestone streets and artsy elegance, as well as its corporate moguls promise prosperity for young professionals hoping to call Massachusetts home. Certainly, company advertising should place emphasis on its youth consumers, with campus marketing initiatives and college promotions to generate long-term relationships and offer more initiative for students to preserve their educational skills post graduation.
