Here Are the 10 Best, Worst Places to Start a Career

Salt Lake City is where to head
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted May 16, 2022 10:10 AM CDT
College Grads, Here Are the Best Places to Start a Career
Salt Lake City is tops of WalletHub's list.   (Getty Images/scyther5)

It's graduation season, which means young adults are now earnestly seeking their first post-college jobs. WalletHub wanted to see which locations offer the best potential for jump-starting one's career, so the site looked at more than 180 of the most populated US cities, examining two dozen-plus metrics in two main categories: professional opportunities, which includes such factors as the availability of entry-level jobs, a city's unemployment rate, and job satisfaction; and quality of life, which looks at things like commuting time, median annual income, and how long the average workweek is. Salt Lake City emerged as the No. 1 pick, with North Las Vegas bringing up the rear. Read on for the top 10 best and worst cities to consider once you've hung your diploma on the wall:

Best Cities

  1. Salt Lake City
  2. Orlando, Fla.
  3. Atlanta
  4. Austin, Texas
  5. Seattle
  6. Boise, Idaho
  7. Miami (No. 1 in "Professional Opportunities" category)
  8. Tampa, Fla.
  9. Portland, Maine
  10. Columbia, SC
Worst Cities
  1. Anchorage, Alaska
  2. Long Beach, Calif.
  3. Pembroke Pines, Fla.
  4. Newark, NJ
  5. Casper, Wyo.
  6. Detroit
  7. Santa Clarita, Calif.
  8. New York
  9. Shreveport, La.
  10. North Las Vegas, Nev.
See where other cities fall on WalletHub's list. (Here's where young people want to move after graduation.)

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