John S Kiernan, Managing Editor

May 14, 2019

Deciding where to lay the foundation for a long and prosperous career can be a tall order, especially for recent graduates entering the job market for the first time. After all, there are many factors — job-market saturation, housing affordability and commuter-friendliness, for instance — to consider about each prospective area. The market is ripe for new graduates, though, with an unemployment rate of only 3.8 percent as of March 2019. And employers plan to hire nearly 17 percent more graduates from the Class of 2019 than they did from the Class of 2018.

Starting a career doesn’t need to be that difficult or intimidating. WalletHub compared the relative market strength and overall livability of more than 180 U.S. cities to help recent college graduates find the best cradles for their budding careers. We examined each city based on 29 key metrics that range from the availability of entry-level jobs to monthly average starting salary to workforce diversity. A complete breakdown of our findings, a detailed methodology and expert career advice can be found below.

Main Findings

Best Cities to Start a Career

Overall Rank

(1=Best) City Total Score ‘Professional Opportunities’ Rank ‘Quality of Life’ Rank 1 Salt Lake City, UT 70.03 1 2 2 Pittsburgh, PA 67.49 4 6 3 Atlanta, GA 67.20 2 12 4 Orlando, FL 67.19 3 8 5 Austin, TX 64.77 7 5 6 Minneapolis, MN 63.53 14 4 7 Seattle, WA 62.91 11 11 8 Raleigh, NC 61.83 19 9 9 Boston, MA 61.83 6 45 10 Denver, CO 61.70 15 19 11 Tampa, FL 60.74 9 43 12 Charleston, SC 60.72 24 7 13 Portland, ME 60.45 22 10 14 St. Louis, MO 60.11 8 54 15 San Francisco, CA 59.95 12 47 16 Fargo, ND 59.53 27 14 17 Durham, NC 59.30 18 41 18 Grand Rapids, MI 59.29 21 27 19 Washington, DC 58.92 26 18 20 Columbia, SC 58.59 23 30 21 Miami, FL 58.45 5 129 22 San Jose, CA 58.32 13 84 23 St. Paul, MN 58.26 29 22 24 Madison, WI 58.10 49 3 25 Tempe, AZ 58.08 62 1 26 Overland Park, KS 58.02 25 32 27 Fort Worth, TX 57.90 16 77 28 Fort Lauderdale, FL 57.85 10 98 29 Portland, OR 56.88 35 25 30 Cincinnati, OH 56.85 37 23 31 Scottsdale, AZ 56.72 44 17 32 Knoxville, TN 56.51 34 31 33 Casper, WY 56.31 17 99 34 Charlotte, NC 56.05 42 26 35 Des Moines, IA 55.98 31 48 36 Cheyenne, WY 55.84 20 94 37 Boise, ID 55.45 60 15 38 Nashville, TN 55.13 51 24 39 Reno, NV 55.09 41 42 40 Irving, TX 54.74 28 87 41 Dallas, TX 54.43 30 81 42 Irvine, CA 54.25 53 36 43 San Diego, CA 53.92 45 49 44 Sacramento, CA 53.89 38 65 45 Colorado Springs, CO 53.79 58 34 46 San Antonio, TX 53.76 48 46 47 Chandler, AZ 53.65 70 28 48 Bismarck, ND 53.59 39 70 49 West Valley City, UT 53.53 40 73 50 Oklahoma City, OK 53.47 55 44 51 Burlington, VT 53.38 96 13 52 Omaha, NE 53.25 67 37 53 Sioux Falls, SD 53.16 71 33 54 Dover, DE 53.13 33 100 55 St. Petersburg, FL 52.91 43 78 56 Columbus, OH 52.50 97 16 57 Richmond, VA 52.43 72 40 58 Rapid City, SD 52.40 61 53 59 Missoula, MT 52.11 100 20 60 Las Vegas, NV 52.10 52 75 61 Plano, TX 51.94 66 57 62 Jacksonville, FL 51.91 54 76 63 Aurora, CO 51.86 32 123 64 Birmingham, AL 51.66 36 126 65 Kansas City, MO 51.62 63 68 66 Phoenix, AZ 51.48 56 82 67 Houston, TX 51.38 65 71 68 Tacoma, WA 51.36 50 96 69 Tulsa, OK 51.33 47 97 70 Oakland, CA 51.26 46 102 71 Billings, MT 51.03 69 66 72 Buffalo, NY 50.69 81 60 73 Gilbert, AZ 50.45 83 58 74 Springfield, MO 50.25 87 56 75 Amarillo, TX 49.91 57 111 76 Lubbock, TX 49.73 74 89 77 Chattanooga, TN 49.63 64 116 78 Huntsville, AL 49.61 92 59 79 Rochester, NY 49.58 98 52 80 Spokane, WA 49.53 91 62 81 Lincoln, NE 49.35 140 21 82 Mesa, AZ 49.29 90 74 83 Arlington, TX 49.19 75 101 84 Virginia Beach, VA 49.11 115 39 85 Fremont, CA 49.10 76 104 86 Tallahassee, FL 49.03 134 29 87 Grand Prairie, TX 48.73 58 134 88 Greensboro, NC 48.70 80 107 89 Providence, RI 48.68 101 64 90 Peoria, AZ 48.45 78 115 91 Cedar Rapids, IA 48.31 106 63 92 Wilmington, DE 48.17 88 103 93 Salem, OR 48.04 95 91 94 South Burlington, VT 47.70 114 61 95 Louisville, KY 47.37 130 50 96 Nampa, ID 47.26 68 155 97 Lexington-Fayette, KY 47.23 154 38 98 Riverside, CA 47.10 93 117 99 Baltimore, MD 47.03 85 133 100 Manchester, NH 46.97 111 88 101 Honolulu, HI 46.79 113 85 102 Little Rock, AR 46.70 102 114 103 Nashua, NH 46.65 104 110 104 Juneau, AK 46.61 122 79 105 Ontario, CA 46.60 79 150 106 Indianapolis, IN 46.58 126 69 107 Chicago, IL 46.57 129 67 108 Tucson, AZ 46.46 145 51 109 Glendale, AZ 46.41 99 119 110 Modesto, CA 46.37 86 138 111 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 46.03 136 72 112 Jersey City, NJ 45.99 151 54 113 Corpus Christi, TX 45.97 89 140 114 New Orleans, LA 45.56 138 80 115 Lewiston, ME 45.37 77 166 116 Warwick, RI 45.34 105 132 117 Columbia, MD 45.25 170 35 118 Baton Rouge, LA 45.14 135 93 119 Vancouver, WA 45.12 108 130 120 Detroit, MI 44.96 82 176 121 Los Angeles, CA 44.84 109 135 122 Huntington Beach, CA 44.77 132 109 123 Bakersfield, CA 44.73 118 120 124 Aurora, IL 44.72 103 146 125 Port St. Lucie, FL 44.64 73 181 126 Laredo, TX 44.62 84 169 127 Henderson, NV 44.56 148 92 128 Norfolk, VA 44.53 146 95 129 Fort Wayne, IN 44.52 110 137 130 Fontana, CA 44.43 117 127 131 Santa Rosa, CA 44.38 94 162 132 Cleveland, OH 44.12 128 122 133 Garland, TX 44.05 107 154 134 Worcester, MA 43.97 121 131 135 Charleston, WV 43.78 112 147 136 Huntington, WV 43.46 137 121 137 Akron, OH 43.37 123 141 138 Chesapeake, VA 43.32 156 106 139 Anaheim, CA 43.04 116 160 140 Winston-Salem, NC 42.88 124 153 141 Milwaukee, WI 42.88 159 105 142 El Paso, TX 42.85 147 125 143 Cape Coral, FL 42.70 127 151 144 San Bernardino, CA 42.47 139 143 145 Wichita, KS 42.35 158 118 146 Long Beach, CA 42.34 131 158 147 Anchorage, AK 42.34 171 83 148 Augusta, GA 42.28 133 157 149 Oceanside, CA 42.27 125 165 150 Garden Grove, CA 42.27 162 113 151 Fresno, CA 42.19 142 145 152 Glendale, CA 42.02 141 152 153 Stockton, CA 41.98 120 171 154 Chula Vista, CA 41.97 119 173 155 Philadelphia, PA 41.93 150 144 156 North Las Vegas, NV 41.82 155 136 157 Memphis, TN 41.45 169 112 158 Pembroke Pines, FL 41.24 143 163 159 Las Cruces, NM 41.10 175 90 160 Mobile, AL 40.80 157 148 161 Fort Smith, AR 40.77 153 161 162 Albuquerque, NM 40.71 178 86 163 Newark, NJ 40.70 144 172 164 Gulfport, MS 40.64 166 139 165 Columbus, GA 40.57 161 142 166 Moreno Valley, CA 40.07 152 177 167 Brownsville, TX 39.66 149 180 168 Fayetteville, NC 39.47 174 124 169 Santa Ana, CA 39.31 165 168 170 New York, NY 39.31 168 149 171 Yonkers, NY 39.03 163 173 172 Santa Clarita, CA 38.97 160 175 173 Jackson, MS 38.78 167 167 174 Newport News, VA 38.76 177 128 175 Toledo, OH 38.66 172 159 176 New Haven, CT 38.05 181 108 177 Pearl City, HI 38.00 173 164 178 Oxnard, CA 36.38 179 170 179 Bridgeport, CT 36.36 176 179 180 Hialeah, FL 35.75 164 182 181 Montgomery, AL 35.29 182 156 182 Shreveport, LA 35.19 180 178

Ask The Experts

Choosing a career path can be just as challenging as finding a place in which to settle down. To help job seekers with such decisions, we turned to a panel of experts for their thoughts on the following key questions:

What tips do you have for job seekers who are applying for jobs in a different city? What can city policy makers and corporations do to attract and retain recent graduates? Do you have any tips for turning an entry-level job into a long, successful career? What is the biggest career mistake that young people make? In choosing a city to start a career, what are the top five indicators?

Methodology

In order to determine the best cities in which to launch a career, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across two key dimensions, “Professional Opportunities” and “Quality of Life.” Our sample considers only city proper in each case and excludes cities in the surrounding metro area.

We evaluated the two dimensions using 29 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for job-market entrants.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Professional Opportunities – Total Points: 70

Availability of Entry-Level Jobs: Double Weight (~8.48 Points)

Note: This metric measures the number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents aged 16 years and older.

4+ Star Company Jobs per Total People in Labor Force: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Note: This metric measures the number of entry-level job opportunities at companies with 4+ stars on Glassdoor.com per the total number of people in the labor force.

Job Fairs per Total People in Labor Force: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Monthly Average Starting Salary: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Note: This metric was adjusted for the cost of living.

Annual Job Growth Rate: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Note: This metric was adjusted for population growth.

Median-Income Growth Rate: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Share of Workers in Poverty: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Economic Mobility: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Note: The probability that a child grew up in the bottom half of the family income distribution and will have family income on the top half of the income distribution by age 30.

Workforce Diversity: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Employer-Based Retirement Access & Participation: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Notes: It’s important for employees to have access to an employer-based retirement plan.

Workers in the United States accumulate the vast majority of their retirement savings through employer-based plans, but large gaps in coverage exist. Pew’s analysis shows that more than 30 million workers report they do not have access to an employer-based retirement plan.

The analysis focuses on full-time, full-year, private sector wage and salary workers, ages 18 to 64.



Job Satisfaction: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Note: This metric is based on The Indeed Job Happiness Index 2016.

Career Counselors per 1,000 Workers: Half Weight (~2.12 Points)

Entrepreneur-Friendliness: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Best Large Cities to Start a Business ranking.

MSA GDP Growth Rate: Full Weight (~4.24 Points)

Quality of Life – Total Points: 30

Median Annual Income: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Note: This metric was adjusted for the cost of living.

Average Length of Work Week (in Hours): Half Weight (~1.25 Points)

Commuter-Friendly Jobs: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Note: This metric measures the number of jobs accessible by a 30-minute transit ride per total civilian employed population.

Average Commute Time (in Minutes): Half Weight (~1.25 Points)

Share of Population Aged 25 to 34 Years: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Share of Millennial Newcomers: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Strength of Social Ties: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Note: This metric is based on responses to Sharecare’s RealAge® Test and was used in our analysis to highlight the places where relationships with family and friends are strongest and therefore likely to result in a positive effect on a person’s social life.

Share of Adults Aged 25 Years & Older with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Projected Population Growth (2046 vs. 2016): Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Fun-Friendliness: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Most Fun Cities in America ranking.

Family-Friendliness: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Best & Worst Cities for Families ranking.

Singles-Friendliness: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Best & Worst Cities for Singles ranking.

Videos for News Use:

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Sharecare, Indeed.com, Glassdoor, Eventbrite, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Equality of Opportunity Project, Council for Community & Economic Research, United States Conference of Mayors, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Chmura Economics & Analytics, Center for Neighborhood Technology and WalletHub research.

Image: iQoncept / Shutterstock.com

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