The 20 Best Cities for New College Graduates

For those of us who graduated in the wake of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, it has been tough finding good work, but the job market for young people dramatically began to improve starting around Barack Obama’s second term.

Source: tradingeconomics.com

The overall unemployment rate currently sits at 4.5% and the youth unemployment rate for college graduates is nearly half that at 2.5%. This has lead to a rise in optimism in the youth job market on all fronts, but especially amongst recent graduates. This is borne out in ZipRecruiter’s data that they shared with Paste. According to ZipRecruiter’s query of their database of over 7 million active jobs, 78.9% of new grads are optimistic that they will find a job, and it is likely due at least in part, to the success of the cities below.

38.8% of new graduates said that they were willing to move anywhere for a new job, and if you are part of that group or considering being a part of it, here are the 20 best places to move, and the industries that are thriving in these areas.

1. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Software Engineer
Median rent: $1600

2. Kansas City, MO-KS

Best industry: Business
Top job: Account Manager
Median rent: $850

3. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Project Manager
Median rent: $1950

4. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

Best industry: Health Care
Top job: Registered Nurse
Median rent: $2650

5. Indianapolis-Carmel, IN

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Project Manager
Median rent: $995

6. Salt Lake City, UT

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Project Manager
Median rent: $1495

7. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH

Best industry: Business
Top job: Administrative Assistant
Median rent: $2637

8. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Project Manager
Median rent: $4325

9. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN

Best industry: Finance and Insurance
Top job: Financial Analyst
Median rent: $1695

10. Raleigh-Cary, NC

Best industry: Health Care
Top job: Registered Nurse
Median rent: $1387

11. San Antonio, TX

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Project Manager
Median rent: $1350

12. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Software Engineer
Median rent: $2750

13. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

Best industry: Finance and Insurance
Top job: Staff Accountant
Median rent: $1300

14. Denver-Aurora, CO

Best industry: Business
Top job: Account Manager
Median rent: $2000

15. Austin-Round Rock, TX

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Project Manager
Median rent: $1895

16. Oklahoma City, OK

Best industry: Business
Top job: Jr. Account Manager
Median rent: $995

17. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Software Engineer
Median rent: $3100

18. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Best industry: Finance and Insurance
Top job: Staff Accountant
Median rent: $1695

19. Orlando-Kissimmee, FL

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Project Manager
Median rent: $1500

20. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Best industry: Technology
Top job: Project Manager
Median rent: $3295

Jacob Weindling is Paste’s business and media editor, as well as a staff writer for politics. Follow him on Twitter at @Jakeweindling.