The BEST And WORST Cities For The Newly Graduated

Each spring, millions of starry-eyed college students toss their graduation caps in the air and head to a city to begin a new life. But where, exactly, are the best places to go? Which cities can support graduates' dreams of salaried jobs with health insurance while providing them with ample social and cultural events? And which cities are declining faster than the telegraph industry?

We took a look across the country to find out.

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BEST: Atlanta, GA

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Atlanta is growing jobs at a consistent clip -- adding about 3 percent more per year -- and is a center of the health care industry. Even in the deepest throes of the recession, employment in the city's health care sector increased 2.7 percent. The home to Coca-Cola and CNN tops Mint.com's list of cities with the most job growth, with an estimated 2.5 million new jobs in the next 20 years.

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Atlanta is growing jobs at a consistent clip -- adding about 3 percent more per year -- and is a center of the health care industry. Even in the deepest throes of the recession, employment in the city's health care sector increased 2.7 percent. The home to Coca-Cola and CNN tops Mint.com's list of cities with the most job growth, with an estimated 2.5 million new jobs in the next 20 years.

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Comments

[Palaver]

01:02 PM on 06/06/2010

I hear the moon is hiring astronauts. No experience required, but you have to move yourself. :P

[KarateKid]

07:58 AM on 06/02/2010

I have been to all these cities, and I agree with the desirable cities; the problem is EVERYONE flocks to places like this, and it soon becomes expensive. I love Austin, but it's not cheap to live there. Sudden increase in population also causes infrastructure and service issues, too.

As for the negative cities, while the data might be true, NY and LA are still very attractive to young people. NYC work experience on a resume is still worth something.

And, isn't it all a matter of preference? Why _rip any of these places?

[Marie62866]

01:33 PM on 05/26/2010

Pittsburgh is a ausome city! The burbs around the city are great too!

[kjsass]

03:08 PM on 05/19/2010

Younger Adults. Traveled to some po-dunk places and must say, Pittsburgh is the "Pitt" of them all. Just went recently for wedding and it is hideous, combined with the "Pittsburgh Provinciality" of everyone telling you how great it is. Nevermind awful weather, food and disgusting industrial look (believe me-was forced to go on "Pitt tour" in car, in summer-repeating "just drop me off at the Super Shuttle." Could not wait to RUN back to crappy cabless airport. NO COFFEE shops except Sunoco station, wedding at this house called an "art gallery/museum" and BABIES at every table and people calling it high end - HA prob was for Pitt. Told someone you don't eat salmon in Pitt-they just don't get it. Best man had the runs all next day because he did. Someone bragging to me about their $5 dollar shoes (looked $2) from drugstore (NO stores like Nordstrom's) and "nobody moves there, they're from there,no 'other view' exposure" (someone on plane told me this) Everyone self absorbed/can't relate to any topic outside of "go Steelers, me watch TV" but yet think they are really cool 'cause they went to Paris,' to get this 'go to Steeler Bars for people from Pitt" Move here at your own risk, unless of course you want to stil be talking about your HIGH SCHOOL drama club and "watching the Simpsons" at your wedding at 30.

[ragtag]

11:58 AM on 05/26/2010

So, where is the Shangri La in which you live -- Cleveland?

I've lived all over the country and Pittsburgh is easily the most diverse. Of course, some people don't like diversity because it flies in the face of their own self-important and narrow worldview.

[kjsass]

03:11 PM on 06/07/2010

Cleveland??? HA - you must have been one of the 50 "diverse all white people" at the Pitt wedding

hanging out with Marie and all her grade school buds in the rust belt...

[Marie62866]

01:35 PM on 05/26/2010

WOW, you must think very highly of yourself! Seriously I feel sorry for you!

[kjsass]

03:16 PM on 06/07/2010

Yes I do, Since I know how to spell the word awesome. Yet another plus for the Pitt - education!

[Pierogi kid]

10:24 AM on 05/13/2010

hail to pitt

[Pierogi kid]

10:23 AM on 05/13/2010

after college in '92 I could not even find a part time job let alone something related to my field (international affairs) in my hometown of Pittsburgh so I left for 15 years and worked all over the place domestically and abroad. After gaining enough experience I was able to find a job in Pittsburgh and returned with my to start raising a family. So I can understand where these comments are coming form. It is a hard place to get started for sure but it is an amazing place to raise a family and live . I think one of things that makes it tough for younger people is that this city professionally speaking is amazingly cliquey everybody is connected here one way or another more than anywhere else I have worked. Business in this city runs on relations and if you are a kid coming up without connections family or otherwise it is very tuff to make inroads. i think it has to do with its industrial roots and the cultural effect of the unions. Having said that if you are a person who has done something somewhere else that carries a bit of mystique here and can be levered. so my advice for young professionals is if you cannot find a job here leave! Go somewhere that is the opposite of Pittsburgh like Shanghai or Vancouver and use that experience to leverage your way back it worked for me and a lot of other natives. Hail to

[1984alloveragain]

02:48 AM on 05/11/2010

I have been in Los Angeles for 11 years. Los Angeles is a good place to live if you have some means, however it will kick your a$$ if you are trying to get started. Don't come here if you want to be an actor, director, agent, or producer. Think about it; if you aren't the star of your local theater then how can you expect to be anything in L.A? There are too many talented pretty people in L.A. looking for acting jobs. Eventually many end up working in the adult industry because the bills need to get paid. If you like terrible traffic, horrible air, high rent, and lots of competition you're welcome to join the crowd.

[HDR]

12:03 PM on 05/07/2010

Re: Austin, yes to everything except rent. Cheap by any standard it is NOT!

[Chris Cantrell]

08:31 PM on 05/06/2010

Austin would definitely be my choice on this list, it a great city and the unemploment rate there is not bad by national standards but let's face it, the unemployment situation in this country is generally grim. I am suprised Dallas/Ft Worth is not on this list, unemployment is a least 3 percentage points lower than Atlanta metro and while I like Atlanta and would say that it is very remencient of Dallas and pehaps has prettier topography, when it comes to cultural institutions, sports facilities, restaurants, shopping and nightlife and the areas many wealthy neighborhoods-DFW leaves ATL in the dust.

[swimguy]

09:53 AM on 05/05/2010

Pittsburgh is an interesting city. My family and I recently left to return to DC. Pittsburgh has great museums, decent (at best) restaurants, little diversity, cheap housing, and great sports teams. The issue I have is that the people are friendly but not very nice. So many of the people grew up here and simply have no conception of a world outside of Allegheny County. So you end up connecting only with people at work or others "not from here". The other BIG downside is the weather. Though we typically do not get a lot of snow, you rarely see sunshine from the end of November through March/April. Grey season as everyone calls it is simply depressing. Finally, on the professional side there are opportunities. But given the size of the city, they are limited in nature. Still, with proper networking and effort jobs are there for the most part.

That said, we have enjoyed our time in Pittsburgh. It was just time to get back to a bigger city with a better quality of life.

[Jeanette Ponder]

12:31 AM on 05/05/2010

I'm moving to Chicago from northern NJ, and I can't wait. I fell in love with it during my recent visit. Beautiful surroundings, lovely people, and FUN things to do all make it a great city. Plus, I see a lot of places where my talents can fit in and make money. June can't come fast enough, LOL!

[Nasif Rogers]

02:00 PM on 05/16/2010

You'll enjoy it. I'm a native who went away for college and now I'm ready to come back. Chicago is a great place, despite the street violence that has served as a perpetual gray cloud recently.

[napasonoma]

09:42 PM on 05/31/2010

Excellent choice. It would be on my list of tops in the U.S.

[A dean89]

09:52 AM on 05/04/2010

No way LA is clustered among the worst it is the most desirable city for fresh graduates if they hold degrees in performing arts, literature, film studies and English. For the no.1 spot, Boston should be the best location to start a career. BTW, how's Boston reputation currently as the globe's educational hub?

[Joshua Hansen]

05:47 PM on 05/04/2010

As a theater student who moved from Pittsburgh to LA after graduation, it's a tough place to make the ends meet. I'm doing it, but I lucked out with a non-industry survival job. My work is subsidizing my dream and it looks like a long, hard road ahead. I know a lot of people who made the same move and are in worse positions.

It's the place to be for a lot of us, but we're all basically gamblers coming to LA.

[LindaInAus]

08:28 AM on 05/07/2010

Read Worst Paying College Degrees? Explains a lot...

The cities which rate the highest have lots of high-tech, not just performing arts where the graduate is going to wait lots of tables.. Its got to be one where graduates settle down, marry and raise their children. Moving to LA w/ a performing arts degree eventually doesn't work out long term..

Austin, Texas has consistently been in the top 3 of all lists of all the right stuff. Because it ranks high as an educational hub (has the largest university in the nation); ranks high for lots of high-tech (home of Dell etc etc);

Austin = low unemployment.

Austin is on the edge of the beautiful Texas Hill Country (Central Texas), the rolling green hills, wineries,bluebonnets and heather; good weather.

NY Times voted the Texas Hill Country as their #1 choice for a vacation in 2008 . Austin is the capital - if you like politics.

Austin's has Barton Springs downtown, great jogging trails and greenbelts throughout the city, which is now about 1.65 mil metro. In minutes you're out at one of the many lakes, sailing your heart out. .

it was Salon.com which compared Austin to "Paris in the 20s", Austin is
liberal voted *only* Democrat since the Civil War 1865.

The creative atmosphere more like Boston; attitude like San Francisco with the city motto being "Keep Austin Weird".

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/06/the-worst-paying-college_n_566518.html

[FordhamLawTX]

08:06 AM on 05/13/2010

Austin is full; Go home!

[Steph Fox]

10:30 AM on 04/30/2010

New York is not just Manhattan. There are plenty of more affordable apartments in the outer boroughs and in the uptown area. If you concede that you will not be living the lifestyle of Carrie Bradshaw, New York is a great place for young people.

[B Cryer]

03:28 PM on 05/05/2010

Exactly. Everyone is not forking over 2400 for a studio in Manhattan. Lots of folks are in Brooklyn, even Queens.

[PittsTechCouncil]

06:44 AM on 04/30/2010

The Pittsburgh Tech Sector is brimming with opportunities. Particularly in engineering, software and hardware support / design. However, the best aspect of this region is that it is an amazing place to START and BUILD a company in the tech sectors (medical technology included). If you are a pioneer, innovator, inventor and want to be at the forefront of opportunity as an entrepreneur, which includes having access to the best and brightest talent in the world -- then Pittsburgh is the place. The region is at the beginning of a diverse and prosperous decade ahead, despite the sluggish recovery the US will have. (check out www.pghcareerconnector.com for a sample of the opps)

[veritas88]

12:39 AM on 04/30/2010

Harlem (especially near Columbia University) is a great place for new grads to live in NYC. I know a lot of grads that live in the area with jobs that pay okay, yet their apts are nice and the price isn't too steep. As a grad student, I'd like to know a little more about Chicago, DC and Boston, as other commenters have mentioned.

[B Cryer]

03:28 PM on 05/05/2010

Yes, Harlem is beautiful. That's where I'm looking.