Karlsruhe: Good Rankings in the City Ranking

„Wirtschaftswoche“: Karlsruhe is in the upper quarter

In 2020, “Wirtschaftswoche” magazine again carried out a comprehensive comparison of the 71 major German cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The cities were tested in three rankings, each covering different areas and time periods: The labor market, economic structure, property market and quality of life are shown in the level and dynamic rankings.

The sustainability ranking, which was carried out for the first time, is based on the United Nations concept of sustainability and examines the fields of economy, ecology and social issues. The sustainability ranking thus replaces the future ranking carried out over the past five years. While the level and sustainability rankings show the actual values of individual indicators and thus the current situation, the dynamic ranking shows the rates of change over the past five years.

Level ranking - 15th place

In the level ranking, Karlsruhe remains in 15th place in the top quarter of all major cities examined (2019: 12th place). Karlsruhe's good ranking is reflected above all in the three sub-areas considered: economic structure, labor market and real estate market. The comparison of indicators in the area of economic structure shows a comparatively high proportion of employees in knowledge-intensive services in Karlsruhe, the creation of which requires a high degree of specialist knowledge. In addition, an above-average gross domestic product, a positive balance from business registrations and de-registrations as well as the low insolvency rate of companies in the urban area are responsible for the good performance. In the labor market area, Karlsruhe can repeatedly score points with comparatively low unemployment figures, especially among the young employable.

In the real estate market, Karlsruhe achieved top placements in terms of the number of requests per owner-occupied and rented apartment at Immobilienscout24 as well as the very short marketing time for rental apartments, which is interpreted as a sign of a prosperous city. In terms of quality of life, aspects such as high life expectancy, good childcare rates for those under three years of age in publicly funded institutions, the low proportion of privately indebted and the high proportion of near-natural areas in the city are rated positively.

Dynamic ranking - 24th place

In the dynamic ranking, which shows evidence of catching up and rapprochement processes, Karlsruhe achieved 24th place (2019: 23rd place). The economic development of the fan-shaped city and developments on the real estate market are particularly positive here.

Sustainability ranking - 20th place

In the sustainability ranking, which was compiled for the first time, Karlsruhe ranks 20th and is thus in the top third of the cities tested. The high proportion of completed residential buildings with sustainable heating energy and once again the low youth unemployment in the fan-shaped city are rated positively. In addition, two economic indicators ensure a good ranking in a city comparison: Karlsruhe ranks sixth in Germany for the proportion of employees in sustainability professions as well as for the proportion of technology- and knowledge-intensive high-tech start-ups.

More about Karlsruhe can be found at the economic development department, https://www.karlsruhe.de/b2/wifoe.de