SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Did you just graduate from college and are now looking to start a new career? Why not stay local, right in Utah’s capital.
A new report from WalletHub reviewed more than 180 U.S. cities to find the best for recent college grads to kick off their careers. The study reviews nearly 30 metrics, including the availability of entry-level jobs to the monthly average starting salary to housing costs.
Utah’s Salt Lake City topped out the list, earning second-place rankings on two key factors – professional opportunities and quality of life. We edged out Orlando, Atlanta, and Austin.
Prefer to live outside of Utah’s major city? West Valley City came in 38th, between St. Louis and Kansas City.
Here’s a look at the top 10 cities to start a career:
- Salt Lake City
- Orlando, Florida
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Austin, Texas
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Seattle
- Overland Park, Kansas
- Durham, North Carolina
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Salt Lake City was also ranked among the top five for most entry-level jobs per 100,000 working-age individuals.
This ranking comes almost as no surprise, considering Utah was recently ranked as the state with the best economic outlook for the 14th year in a row and the third best state, with the top economy, by U.S. News & World Report.
Another report ranked Salt Lake City as the best state capital to live in based on economic factors, like the cost of living and median income, and other considerations, like business counts and commuting time. The city was also ranked one of the best cities for digital nomads to move to by Yelp and Zillow.
While Salt Lake City has repeatedly been ranked one of the best cities to live, 26% of the city’s renters were looking for apartments outside of the metro area during the first part of 2021. A recent report shows where those renters are looking to relocate to.
