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The capital of Georgia has emerged as the best city for people to begin their careers.
The Peach State’s bustling Atlanta beat out more than 180 other cities to earn the title in WalletHub’s “Best & Worst Places to Start a Career” ranking.
WalletHub’s list ranked a total of 182 cities, using over two dozen metrics ranging from job growth rate and starting salary averages to average commute and housing affordability to determine their overall position.
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“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,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “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.”
The release of the report comes as graduation season is in full swing – a time when many people are figuring out where in the country they want to kick off their professional lives.
The five cities that WalletHub found to be most favorable for beginning a career were located in three different states.
1. Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia, topped WalletHub’s list of the best cities to start a career. (Alex Slitz – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images / Getty Images)
There are several reasons why Atlanta was ranked No. 1 on WalletHub’s list, including an 8.2% annual median household income growth rate and an abundance of entry-level positions. In reaction to topping the list, the city of Atlanta wrote on X: “From opportunity to innovation, our city continues to lead the way for the next generation of professionals.”
2. Orlando, Florida
A view of Lake Eola Park in Orlando, Florida. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In addition to landing the No. 2 spot overall for starting a career, Orlando received the ranking for “professional opportunities,” one of the two overarching categories that WalletHub used to craft its list. That category took into account things like how many entry-level jobs were present, starting salaries, unemployment rate and job satisfaction, according to the report.
3. Tampa, Florida
An aerial view of Tampa Bay, Florida. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Tampa sits on the Gulf Coast in Florida. The city tied with three other places for offering the most entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents at least 16 years old, WalletHub said.
4. Austin, Texas
The downtown skyline of Austin, Texas. ((Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Austin, fourth-place overall for beginning a career, scored No. 1 for WalletHub’s other major category, quality of life.
5. Miami, Florida
The skyline of Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
More than 487,000 people call Miami home as of 2024. The Miami area had an unemployment rate of 3.1% as of March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The cities of Charleston, South Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Salt Lake City, Utah; Columbia, South Carolina; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are ranked No. 6 through 10, respectively.
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Of the 182 locales included in WalletHub’s report, the ones with the lowest overall scores for beginning a career were Detroit, Michigan; New York, New York; Oxnard, California; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Pearl City, Hawaii.
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