The 9 best large, mid-sized, and small cities for recent college graduates
These cities have ample job oppournities, high incomes, and plenty of fun activities for people who just finished up college
Many recent college graduates are looking for greener pastures, but not every city is well-suited for their needs.
CoworkingCafe, a listing site for flexible workspaces, set out to find the best large, mid-sized, and small cities in the U.S. for people who have just graduated.
It looked at data across three main categories: financial, lifestyle, and employment. This included factors such as the percentage of job listings intended for recent graduates, the median income for young people with a college degree, the availability of leisure and coworking spaces, and the unemployment rate for people in their twenties.
To break down its rankings, CoworkingCafe classified large cities as those with populations over 400,000, mid-sized cities as those with 150,000 to 400,000 people, and small cities as those with fewer than 150,000 residents.
Continue reading to see which ones made the list.
2 / 10
3rd Best Large City: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coworking Cafe said Minneapolis "holds steady with gains in education and employer-based health insurance reflecting a balanced mix of affordability, economic stability and upward mobility." It also shouted out its growing tech sector.
3 / 10
2nd Best Large City: Washington, D.C.
Washington D.C. took second thanks to high salaries for those with degrees and strong economic indicators. But Coworking Cafe said recent cuts to federal jobs could threaten the city's spot in the future.
4 / 10
Best Large City: Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ranked the highest thanks to its relative affordability compared to other major cities and strong job market for recent graduates.
5 / 10
3rd Best Mid-Sized City: St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis has a growing cultural life, a declining youth unemployment rate, and good affordability metrics, landing it in third for mid-sized cities.
6 / 10
2nd Best Mid-Sized City: Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale, located in the Santa Clara Valley near San Jose, took second with the highest income across all top cities at $132,150. Its proximity to Silicon Valley means its expensive to live there, but also provides higher earning potential.
7 / 10
Best Mid-Sized City: Arlington, Virginia
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Despite a slight rise in unemployment, Arlington "still outperforms most cities in overall job quality," Coworking Cafe wrote. "Plus, its median income for graduates remains among the highest at more than $101,000," helping it secure the top spot.
8 / 10
3rd Best Small City: Santa Clara, California
Thanks to its proximity to Silicon Valley, Santa Clara got the third spot for best small cities, with a median income of $120,700 and lots of tech jobs.
9 / 10
2nd Best Small City: Ann Arbor, Michigan
While salaries are lower in Ann Arbor, it has a vibrant cultural life and is more affordable than many cities, landing it in second place.
10 / 10
Best Small City: Cambridge, Massachusetts
"A low unemployment rate of 3% and a median income for bachelor’s degree-holders of $71,968 means that Cambridge offers graduates a wealth of opportunity, particularly in academic, research and tech," said Coworking Cafe. That combination secured it first place for small cities.