The following post was written by Maggy Stewart, Marketing & Communications Coordinator at RMS.

The U.S. News & World Report examined the 100 most populated metropolitan areas in the United States and released the results earlier this month. For the inaugural Best Places to Live rankings, the 100 largest metro areas by population as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau were selected. Syracuse, New York (located approximately 13 miles from the home of Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. in Baldwinsville, NY) ranks as number 53 with an overall score of 6.5 out of 10.

Syracuse has a metro population of 662,236, and offers residents more than a typical city in the snow belt. The Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of three counties—Onondaga, where Syracuse is located, and neighboring Madison and Oswego Counties—each of which contain highly sought-after school districts and suburbs, including Baldwinsville, Cazenovia, Manlius, Skaneateles and more. Syracuse offers a better value than similarly sized cities when you compare housing costs to median household income, according to U.S. News & World Report. The area’s affordability makes it an appealing location for families and young professionals.

And there’s more — not only does the Central New York area offer four seasons, above average school districts, affordable housing, and convenient commutes, it is also one of the nation’s top test markets due to its demographic representation of the United States as a whole (see the chart below for the comparison).

Onondaga County has become a top choice market to test and refine campaigns and products before going national. Whether establishing a marketing campaign or developing a novel concept or product, it is vital to identify the behaviors of the intended market. This is where market research steps in. Executing a market research project in an ideal and sound test market establishes a more accurate depiction of how feasible the campaign, concept, or product is. When you want to take your product or service national and can’t test the entire population, it makes sense to test a region that closely mimics its demographics. Onondaga County is not only a prime market for those interested in testing for local or national campaigns, it is also progressively becoming one of the premier places to call home.

Interested in learning more about using Onondaga County as the test market for your product or service? Contact our Senior Director of Business Development & Corporate Strategy, Sandy Baker at SandyB@RMSresults.com or 1-866-567-5422.