Top 10 cities to live after graduation
Graduation season is here and with it comes the reality facing many new grads: What should I do and where should I go? Job hunting was once much more limited to either focusing on a specific industry or a geographic location. But over the last year, many employers have launched long-term remote working, giving grads the ability to look beyond location for their dream jobs.
With this newfound flexibility with where to live and work, The Zebra decided to find the top 10 U.S. cities for new grads in 2021.
We looked at the top 50 most populated metropolitan areas and analyzed them in five separate categories:
- Cost of living index to gauge overall affordability. We used the Numbeo Index, which uses New York City as its baseline. Each city’s cost of living index is calculated in relation to NYC, excluding rent.
- Average cost of rent for a one-bedroom apartment
- Unemployment rate to determine places with more recession-proof jobs (as of March 2021)
- Number of arts and entertainment establishments per 100,000 residents
- “Foodie” city ranking from Wallethub to find places with the most opportunities to socialize
Our top 10 list includes a diverse set of places from coast to coast, giving you plenty of inspiration as you navigate your job hunt.
