So maybe this explains the advent of $1.9-million OTP townhomes. 

Known for its downtown regeneration and the national live-work-play template Avalon has become, Alpharetta has taken the top spot as a 2026 career launchpad among nearly 300 mid-sized and small cities studied across the U.S.   

A combination of relatively high median household incomes ($173,310) and a low unemployment rate (roughly 2 percent) helped boost the other A-town to No. 1 in CoworkingCafe’s analysis of 298 “career powerhouses” with populations of 250,000 or less. 

Other factors working in Alpharetta’s favor include a relatively dense, diverse base of employers and the most “cultural amenities” per 100,000 residents (943) of any other city, according to analysts with CoworkingCafe, a national coworking space search service.

“What is rare about Alpharetta is that earning power and everyday comfort move in the same direction,” reads a summary. 

Courtesy of CoworkingCafe

Conversely, Alpharetta’s cost-of-living wasn’t such a high point, ranking at 96th overall. 

The study weighed factors that drive livability and economic opportunity in smaller cities that don't always get the shine of their larger metro counterparts, including labor market and remote work trends, income and affordability metrics, commute times, healthcare access, and education levels, among other factors. 

The rest of the top five were all in the West—South Jordan, Utah (No. 2), and California cities Mountain View, Santa Clara, and Palo Alto, respectively—and ranked as considerably more expensive than Alpharetta. 

Not coincidentally, Alpharetta won both of the March Madness-style Best OTP Downtown tournaments staged on these pages in recent years. 

Photo: Downtown Alpharetta District

The city was also the subject of a lightning-rod Letter to the Editor last year explaining why average sales of detached Alpharetta homes have more than doubled in recent years—up from $422,386 in 2018 to $927,917 last January. “High-profile developments in the area, good walkability, and a vibrant business community have contributed to the increased market value,” noted the authors, both real estate agents. 

Below is a snapshot of No. 1 Alpharetta’s best metrics, according to CoworkingCafe’s findings: 

  • 1st - Total workplaces per 100,000 population (13,281)
  • 1st - Number of coworking spaces per 100,000 population (28.2)
  • 1st - Number of cultural amenities per 100,000 population (943)
  • 5th - Housing affordability (share of one-bedroom apartment rent from income) (23.7 percent)
  • 7th - Unemployment rate (2.1 percent)
  • 8th - Share of remote workers (28.4 percent)
  • 8th - Number of major employers (Fortune 1000) (1)
  • 8th - Industry diversity (1)
  • 11th - Median household income ($173,310/year)
  • 23rd - Labor force participation rate (72.8 percent)
  • 29th - GDP per capita (thousands of dollars) ($89)
  • 31st - Employment rate evolution 2024 vs 2019 (3 percent)
  • 39th - Fiber internet coverage (56 percent)
  • 41st - Share of access to healthcare (94 percent)

...

Follow us on social media: 

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Alpharetta news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)