Best & Worst Places to Start a Career
Fortunately, new graduates are entering the market at a good time, as many businesses are experiencing labor shortages.
To help recent college graduates find the best cradles for their budding careers, WalletHub compared the relative market strength and overall livability of more than 180 U.S. cities. We examined each city based on 26 key metrics that range from the availability of entry-level jobs to the average monthly starting salary to housing affordability.
To help recent college graduates find the best cradles for their budding careers, WalletHub compared the relative market strength and overall livability of more than 180 U.S. cities. We examined each city based on 26 key metrics that range from the availability of entry-level jobs to the average monthly starting salary to housing affordability.
“Transitioning out of school and into the workforce can be a difficult and stressful process, but certain cities make things a lot easier than others. The best cities for starting a career not only have a lot of job opportunities but also provide substantial income growth potential and satisfying work conditions. It’s also important to consider factors such as how fun a city is to live in or how good of a place it is for raising a family, to ensure life satisfaction outside of your career.”
Cassandra Happe, WalletHub Analyst
Cassandra Happe, WalletHub Analyst
Source: WalletHub
Best Cities to Start a Career
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.
Monthly Avg. Starting Salaries (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
In-Depth Look at the Best Places to Start a Career
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta is the best place to start a career, boasting one of the highest growth rates in the median household income, at around 8.9% annually. The median annual household income in Atlanta is already pretty high as well, at nearly $79,000.
In addition, Atlanta has a lot of job opportunities at companies that are rated at least 4 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor, along with plentiful entry-level jobs, and people have a high rate of satisfaction with their jobs.
For people who want to not only start a career but also start their own business, Atlanta ranks as the sixth-best large city. It also ranks fourth among the most fun cities and best cities for singles, allowing people who move for their career to also find happiness outside of work.
Orlando, FL
Orlando, FL, is the second-best city for starting a career, boasting one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. In addition, it has the second-highest number of entry-level job openings per capita, along with lots of openings at companies rated 4 or 5 stars.
People who get a job in Orlando have the potential to experience a lot of income growth, too, as the median household income grows by around 8.2% annually – one of the highest rates in the country. In addition, people in Orlando have higher job satisfaction than people in most other cities.
To top things off, Orlando ranks second among the most fun cities in America, so there’s plenty to do when off the clock.
Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City is the third-best city to start a career, with a very large number of job opportunities per capita at companies rated at least 4 stars on Glassdoor. It also has a lot of entry-level jobs per capita.
In addition, Salt Lake City enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, at 3.0%. It also has one of the highest job growth rates, at around 2.3% annually.
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 26 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
Quality of Life – Total Points: 30
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of April 30, 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Indeed.com, Glassdoor, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Council for Community & Economic Research, United States Conference of Mayors, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Chmura Economics & Analytics, Center for Neighborhood Technology and WalletHub research.
Source: Wallethub
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta is the best place to start a career, boasting one of the highest growth rates in the median household income, at around 8.9% annually. The median annual household income in Atlanta is already pretty high as well, at nearly $79,000.
In addition, Atlanta has a lot of job opportunities at companies that are rated at least 4 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor, along with plentiful entry-level jobs, and people have a high rate of satisfaction with their jobs.
For people who want to not only start a career but also start their own business, Atlanta ranks as the sixth-best large city. It also ranks fourth among the most fun cities and best cities for singles, allowing people who move for their career to also find happiness outside of work.
Orlando, FL
Orlando, FL, is the second-best city for starting a career, boasting one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. In addition, it has the second-highest number of entry-level job openings per capita, along with lots of openings at companies rated 4 or 5 stars.
People who get a job in Orlando have the potential to experience a lot of income growth, too, as the median household income grows by around 8.2% annually – one of the highest rates in the country. In addition, people in Orlando have higher job satisfaction than people in most other cities.
To top things off, Orlando ranks second among the most fun cities in America, so there’s plenty to do when off the clock.
Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City is the third-best city to start a career, with a very large number of job opportunities per capita at companies rated at least 4 stars on Glassdoor. It also has a lot of entry-level jobs per capita.
In addition, Salt Lake City enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, at 3.0%. It also has one of the highest job growth rates, at around 2.3% annually.
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 26 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 (~9.66 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents aged 16 and older. - 4+ Star Company Jobs per Total People in Labor Force: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of full time job opportunities at companies with 4+ stars on Glassdoor.com per the total number of people in the labor force. - Monthly Average Starting Salary: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
Note: This metric was adjusted for the cost of living. - Annual Job Growth Rate: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
Note: This metric was adjusted for population growth. - Median-Income Growth Rate: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
- Share of Workers in Poverty: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
- Workforce Diversity: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
- Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
- Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
- Employer-Based Retirement Access & Participation: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
Note: 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 (~4.83 Points)
Note: This metric is based on The Indeed Job Happiness Index 2016. - Career Counselors per 1,000 Workers: Half Weight (~2.41 Points)
- Entrepreneur-Friendliness: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Best Large Cities to Start a Business” ranking. - MSA GDP Growth Rate: Full Weight (~4.83 Points)
Quality of Life – Total Points: 30
- Median Annual Income: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
Note: This metric was adjusted for the cost of living. - Average Length of Work Week (in Hours): Half Weight (~1.36 Points)
- Commuter-Friendly Jobs: Full Weight (~2.73 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 (~1.36 Points)
- Share of Population Aged 25 to 34: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Share of Millennial Newcomers: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Share of Adults Aged 25 & Older with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Projected Population Growth (2046 vs. 2016): Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
- Fun-Friendliness: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Most Fun Cities in America” ranking. - Family-Friendliness: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Best & Worst Cities for Families” ranking. - Singles-Friendliness: Full Weight (~2.73 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Best & Worst Cities for Singles” ranking.
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of April 30, 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Indeed.com, Glassdoor, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Council for Community & Economic Research, United States Conference of Mayors, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Chmura Economics & Analytics, Center for Neighborhood Technology and WalletHub research.
Source: Wallethub
