Best Cities In U.S. For Starting Career: Atlanta Tops List, NYC Ranks Last!

WASHINGTON — Fresh-faced college graduates regularly flood the gates of corporate America during springtime each year. While it can be a bit of a rat race to get your foot in the door of your desired career field, those who don caps and gowns this year are in luck, as employers plan to hire 14.7 percent more graduates from the class of 2023 than they did in 2022.

However, a state’s job market can make or break your entry-level experience. Fortunately, researchers from WalletHub compared career-friendliness in over 180 U.S. cities based on 26 key indicators like base salary, diversity, and housing in each state.

At the top of the list when it comes to desirable places to work are Atlanta, Georgia; Orlando, Florida; and Salt Lake City, Utah. Meanwhile, there’s a shocking entry at the bottom of the list. While the old song may say, “if I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” it turns out New York City is not the place college grads should start their careers in. The bottom three of the list include New York City; Newark, New Jersey; and Gulfport, Mississippi.

This may be bad news for those who have dreamed of sprinting to the Big Apple post-grad. New York City turns out to have the least number of entry-level jobs, compared to places like Orlando, Florida and Columbia, South Carolina — which are full of them. New York also has the least favorable ranking in affordable housing.

worker in suit walking in Times Square
Photo by Saulo Mohana from Unsplash

Follow the money

Plus, a big factor for getting a college degree, in general, is the lure of a big, fancy salary once you grab your diploma. For those chasing the big bucks, head to Austin, Texas which boasts the highest average monthly starting salary at $4,958. That is 2.9 times higher than the lowest in Juneau, Alaska at $1,685.

For those looking for long-term progression in a field, Miami is the number one place for you with the fastest job growth. On the flip side, Gulfport, Mississippi placed as the slowest for moving up the corporate ladder.

Researchers also looked at household income in each state. This revealed that Columbia, Maryland had the highest median annual household income at $104,886 (after adjustments for cost of living). Detroit ended up holding the lowest at $33,329.

As for unemployment rate, Detroit takes another hit with the highest at 8.6 percent. On the other hand, residents of South Burlington, Vermont are experiencing more of a thriving job market with their unemployment rate at 1.5 percent, almost six times higher than Detroit’s.

In workforce diversity, Oxnard, California comes out on top while New Haven, Connecticut is lacking the most in that area. These factors are important for graduates to consider when moving into their new professional lives to ensure success in the unknown world of jumping into a career.

Best Cities to Start a Career

Overall Rank  City Total Score  Professional Opportunities  Quality of Life 
1 Atlanta, GA 66.87 2 7
2 Orlando, FL 64.75 3 12
3 Salt Lake City, UT 63.54 8 6
4 Columbia, SC 62.31 5 24
5 Tampa, FL 62.17 6 31
6 Charleston, SC 60.78 10 18
7 Miami, FL 60.73 1 101
8 Austin, TX 60.44 26 2
9 Minneapolis, MN 60.08 23 3
10 Pittsburgh, PA 60.04 14 8
11 Wilmington, DE 59.75 4 63
12 Tempe, AZ 58.53 54 1
13 Denver, CO 58.52 22 9
14 Seattle, WA 58.26 39 4
15 St. Louis, MO 57.97 9 57
16 Scottsdale, AZ 57.86 19 20
17 Portland, ME 57.39 31 10
18 Boise, ID 56.92 25 21
19 Richmond, VA 56.86 15 38
20 Grand Rapids, MI 56.56 18 32
21 Madison, WI 56.20 75 5
22 Overland Park, KS 56.09 24 27
23 Washington, DC 55.67 44 14
24 Boston, MA 55.50 27 33
25 Providence, RI 55.13 12 85
26 Raleigh, NC 55.12 53 15
27 Knoxville, TN 54.88 20 54
28 Charleston, WV 54.66 7 138
29 Fargo, ND 54.42 72 13
30 Colorado Springs, CO 54.25 32 36
31 Cincinnati, OH 54.16 46 23
32 Rochester, NY 53.56 29 53
33 Charlotte, NC 53.31 36 44
34 Burlington, VT 53.22 99 11
35 Rapid City, SD 53.18 35 48
36 Tulsa, OK 53.11 21 90
37 Oklahoma City, OK 52.95 30 68
38 Sacramento, CA 52.87 41 47
39 Durham, NC 52.86 38 52
40 Chattanooga, TN 52.53 17 109
41 Des Moines, IA 52.46 48 49
42 Omaha, NE 52.40 59 37
43 St. Petersburg, FL 52.38 37 60
44 Portland, OR 52.31 95 17
45 Chandler, AZ 52.30 74 25
46 Fort Lauderdale, FL 52.27 28 86
47 Gilbert, AZ 52.21 42 58
48 Birmingham, AL 52.18 13 142
49 Sioux Falls, SD 51.98 69 35
50 Reno, NV 51.97 61 40
51 Lewiston, ME 51.89 11 153
52 Tallahassee, FL 51.71 83 26
53 Cheyenne, WY 51.55 34 76
54 Dallas, TX 51.21 43 79
55 Nashville, TN 50.95 65 50
56 Kansas City, MO 50.86 55 71
57 Spokane, WA 50.71 56 70
58 San Francisco, CA 50.67 125 16
59 Cedar Rapids, IA 50.61 73 51
60 St. Paul, MN 50.60 100 29
61 Fort Worth, TX 50.59 50 80
62 Jacksonville, FL 50.53 40 97
63 Columbus, OH 50.39 101 30
64 Tacoma, WA 50.34 52 82
65 Dover, DE 50.17 16 152
66 Irving, TX 50.12 57 81
67 Phoenix, AZ 50.01 77 55
68 Manchester, NH 49.98 45 91
69 South Burlington, VT 49.98 89 45
70 Irvine, CA 49.96 98 39
71 Tucson, AZ 49.79 76 62
72 San Diego, CA 49.72 113 28
73 Bismarck, ND 49.52 63 78
74 Huntsville, AL 49.24 85 59
75 Laredo, TX 49.04 33 129
76 Lincoln, NE 48.97 129 22
77 Nampa, ID 48.92 51 112
78 Mesa, AZ 48.88 67 89
79 Aurora, CO 48.82 49 122
80 Houston, TX 48.65 92 66
81 Indianapolis, IN 48.34 62 113
82 West Valley City, UT 48.20 84 84
83 Nashua, NH 48.20 71 94
84 Plano, TX 48.19 123 42
85 Las Vegas, NV 48.00 120 46
86 Lubbock, TX 47.87 88 87
87 Little Rock, AR 47.72 47 137
88 Buffalo, NY 47.66 97 83
89 Springfield, MO 47.56 79 96
90 Columbia, MD 47.37 146 34
91 New Orleans, LA 47.21 68 128
92 Virginia Beach, VA 47.07 127 56
93 Fort Wayne, IN 47.06 60 130
94 San Antonio, TX 47.02 112 77
95 Albuquerque, NM 46.89 119 75
96 Worcester, MA 46.81 90 105
97 Glendale, AZ 46.75 96 103
98 Baton Rouge, LA 46.68 80 121
99 Arlington, TX 46.67 87 115
100 Modesto, CA 46.64 58 144
101 Missoula, MT 46.58 170 19
102 Norfolk, VA 46.44 110 92
103 Louisville, KY 46.36 104 98
104 Winston-Salem, NC 46.33 66 141
105 Huntington, WV 46.10 81 124
106 Riverside, CA 46.09 91 125
107 Lexington-Fayette, KY 46.04 151 41
108 San Bernardino, CA 45.99 70 148
109 Wichita, KS 45.87 105 108
110 Vancouver, WA 45.85 86 127
111 New Haven, CT 45.85 102 106
112 San Jose, CA 45.83 133 64
113 Augusta, GA 45.67 64 157
114 Chesapeake, VA 45.43 116 107
115 Amarillo, TX 45.23 111 111
116 Billings, MT 45.20 144 69
117 Chicago, IL 45.14 143 65
118 Akron, OH 44.95 82 147
119 Greensboro, NC 44.94 108 126
120 Milwaukee, WI 44.69 126 110
121 Philadelphia, PA 44.61 124 120
122 Honolulu, HI 44.55 152 61
123 Peoria, AZ 44.50 106 133
124 Ontario, CA 44.48 118 123
125 Mobile, AL 44.22 78 160
126 Henderson, NV 44.20 132 102
127 Baltimore, MD 44.19 107 143
128 Cleveland, OH 44.02 121 132
129 Jersey City, NJ 43.98 167 43
130 Fort Smith, AR 43.91 94 155
131 El Paso, TX 43.81 141 95
132 Aurora, IL 43.66 109 146
133 Grand Prairie, TX 43.63 103 150
134 Warwick, RI 43.54 117 135
135 Fremont, CA 43.37 158 74
136 Oakland, CA 43.35 149 93
137 Bakersfield, CA 43.10 138 119
138 Fresno, CA 43.09 122 149
139 Port St. Lucie, FL 43.04 93 173
140 Salem, OR 42.95 148 104
141 Casper, WY 42.80 128 131
142 Columbus, GA 42.38 114 164
143 Fontana, CA 42.37 150 116
144 Juneau, AK 42.18 172 73
145 Los Angeles, CA 41.99 154 114
146 Las Cruces, NM 41.98 173 67
147 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 41.78 163 100
148 Corpus Christi, TX 41.73 145 134
149 Pearl City, HI 41.64 155 117
150 Memphis, TN 41.45 131 168
151 Toledo, OH 41.39 134 159
152 Newport News, VA 41.26 130 167
153 Fayetteville, NC 41.10 160 118
154 Oceanside, CA 40.91 142 154
155 Garland, TX 40.85 140 163
156 Anchorage, AK 40.73 178 72
157 Huntington Beach, CA 40.72 174 88
158 Jackson, MS 40.58 137 171
159 Santa Rosa, CA 40.41 135 172
160 Brownsville, TX 40.25 139 169
161 Santa Ana, CA 39.99 156 145
162 Stockton, CA 39.89 136 177
163 Montgomery, AL 39.57 153 158
164 Garden Grove, CA 39.22 179 99
165 Hialeah, FL 39.08 115 182
166 Cape Coral, FL 38.91 166 151
167 Chula Vista, CA 38.88 164 162
168 Anaheim, CA 38.84 168 140
169 Glendale, CA 38.84 169 136
170 Pembroke Pines, FL 38.80 159 170
171 Bridgeport, CT 38.50 147 180
172 Long Beach, CA 38.50 171 139
173 Yonkers, NY 38.43 165 166
174 Oxnard, CA 38.35 157 175
175 Moreno Valley, CA 37.81 162 176
176 Shreveport, LA 37.12 161 178
177 North Las Vegas, NV 36.99 175 165
178 Santa Clarita, CA 36.05 180 161
179 Detroit, MI 35.48 177 179
180 Newark, NJ 35.32 176 181
181 Gulfport, MS 34.18 182 156
182 New York, NY 33.29 181 174

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

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About the Author

Sophia Naughton

Meet StudyFinds’ Associate Editor, Sophia Naughton. Sophia graduated Magna Cum Laude from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication directly focused in journalism and advertising. She is also a freelance writer for Baltimore Magazine. Outside of writing, her best buddy is her spotted Pit Bull, Terrance.

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