Best Cities to Get a Job After Graduation
Credit: Arvind Balaraman /Moment/ Getty Images- ADP Research found the top metro areas for new graduates to find jobs are: Raleigh, North Carolina; Milwaukee-Waukseha-West Allis, Wisconsin; Baltimore-Columbia-Townson, Maryland; Austin-Round Rock, Texas; and Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama.
- The report highlighted strong wages, cost of living, and employment, while considering some grads may prioritize job availability over wages.
- The report chose the best metro areas through anonymous payroll data of over 140,000 people ages 20-29 to determine the results.
- The worst metro areas to move to, according to the report, are: Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia-North Carolina; Salt Lake City, Utah; Riverside-San Bernadino-Ontario, California; and Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut.
The job market is rough right now, but there is a surprising collection of metro areas where new graduates are finding work.
ADP Research used anonymous payroll data of over 140,000 people ages 20-29 at over 27,000 U.S. employers and determined the best places to get hired considering job market strength, salary, cost of living, and hiring availability.
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The report said that while the goal was to highlight metro areas with a mix of strong wages, cost of living, and employment opportunities, it recognized that some grads might prioritize job availability over wages.
Here are ADP Research’s best places to get a job after graduation, alongside a profile of each area.
The Best Places to Get a Job After Graduation:
1. Raleigh, North Carolina
Affordability-adjusted annual wage: $56,721
Hiring rate: 4.2%
ADP says Raleigh claims the top spot for how its Research Triangle draws people in with jobs, wages, and affordability.
Research Triangle Park is home to tech companies like IBM and pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer. Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s specialties in medicine and their hospitals attract researchers, primary care providers, and nurses, while North Carolina State University specializes in engineering and agriculture.
2. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin
Affordability-adjusted annual wage: $51,508
Hiring rate: 3.7%
Some of Milwaukee’s most prominent industries are mechanical manufacturing, energy, power and controls, and food. Milwaukee Tool, Komatsu, and Harley-Davidson are some of the area’s leading manufacturers. It’s also called “Brew City” for its food and alcoholic beverage scene inspired by German immigration during the 19th century.
Want to go to school in the states with the best cities for finding a job? Check out these online colleges:
3. Baltimore-Columbia-Townson, Maryland
Affordability-adjusted annual wage: $50,907
Hiring rate: 3.5%
While the Baltimore-Columbia-Townson area ranks low for affordability, its hiring rate and wages are similar to Raleigh. Baltimore is home to financial businesses like Lockheed-Martin, prestigious universities and health systems like the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, and clothing brands like Under Armour. Baltimore is also one of the largest international ports in the country.
4. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
Affordability-adjusted annual wage: $59,828
Hiring rate: 2.8%
Austin is home to many tech companies, including IBM, Dell, AMD, Amazon, and Apple. A significant portion of the population is in their 20s and 30s. Austin is also known for its culture, diversity, and arts, living up to its popular motto: “Keep Austin Weird.”
5. Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama
Affordability-adjusted annual wage: $54,863
Hiring rate: 2.8%
According to Birmingham’s website, the city has the highest per capita concentration of healthcare jobs nationwide, which the flagship University of Alabama at Birmingham emphasizes. Birmingham is also a large banking, financial services, and automotive manufacturing city.
Worst Places to Get a Job After Graduation
The Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News area of Virginia and North Carolina ranked the lowest with an affordability-adjusted salary of $38,889 per year and a 2% hiring rate. Salt Lake City, Utah; Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California; and Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut, ranked slightly higher.
Good Places to Move Depending on What Grads Value
Recent graduates looking for great hiring rates and affordability who don’t mind a lower salary may consider Tucson, Arizona; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio. ADP also puts Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama, as the most balanced option in this category.
On the other side of the spectrum, if new grads are looking for expensive places to live with high wages, they should look in the New England area toward Boston-Cambridge-Newton. They could also consider the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area or California locations in San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward or San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara.
Despite high salaries, these cities are expensive and have relatively low hiring rates.