A new index showcasing the best places to live for residents under age 35 ranks Minneapolis No. 6 — with St. Paul close behind at No. 8 — out of the nation’s 100 most populous cities.

To come up with its Livability Index, the news and culture website Vocativ studied traditional and nontraditional indicators of youth happiness, from housing and salary data to the average price of a dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Vocativ even threw in some off-color topics — such as the typical cost of an ounce of high-grade marijuana.

“There are lots of ways to determine the best cities for millennials,” said Danielle Voigt, a spokeswoman for the Greater St. Paul Building Owners and Managers Association.

“While many lists zoom in on one of these aspects, we’ve yet to see one that blends them all together with such millennial-esque creativity,” she said.

The website states: “Vocativ’s second annual Livability Index was created specifically for people like you — young, ethnically diverse, overwhelmingly single and saddled with student loans — to measure what matters most when picking a place to call home. Jobs. Housing. Diversity. Fun.”

Portland, Ore., which came in first on the index last year, fell to No. 10 this year. Racial diversity, take-out options and public transportation helped propel New York City into the top spot, despite high rent prices.

Meanwhile, Miami, New Orleans and Philadelphia did not make the top 35 at all.

The Vocativ ranking is online at tinyurl.com/ LivableStPaul.

Frederick Melo can be reached at 651-228-2172. Follow him at twitter.com/FrederickMelo.