With its good-paying jobs, affordable lifestyle options and social scene, Phoenix has been ranked among the top 10 best cities for new graduates coming out of college by Kiplinger.com.
Check out all the ranked cities that made the cut below.
#10 – Seattle
Stats:
Median salary: $43,800/year
Average apartment rental cost: $1,436/month
Average cost of living for renters: 23.1 percent above national average
#9 – Dallas
Including the Fort Worth and Arlington areas, Dallas ranks as the most populous on this list with a population of 6.3 million. With 14.3 percent of the population being in their 20s, jobs and tame living costs attract a young professional crowd.
Stats:
Median salary: $42,900/year
Average apartment rental cost: $799/month
Average cost of living for renters: 7.2 percent above national average
#8 – Washington, D.C.
Even though the average apartment rent is the highest of all the cities on the list, remember that most entertainment like the monuments, museums and the National Zoo, are free.
Stats:
Population: 5.5 million
Percent of population in their twenties: 14.4 percent
Median salary: $46,100/year
Average apartment rental cost: $1,852/month
Average cost of living for renters: 28.0 percent above the national average
#7 – Phoenix
Our very own city of Phoenix is one of the top places college grads look to move to post-graduation. With 14.4 percent of the 4.2 million population being in their 20s, young college grads are finding low living costs and a steady job growth rate, in addition to year-around sunshine.
Stats:
Median salary: $41,100 a year
Average apartment rental: $883 a month
Average cost of living for renters: 1.0% above national average
#6 – San Diego
The 3.1 million population boasts a strong military presence, along with other major markets, including: health care, education and green energy, for the 16.8 percent of the population who are in their 20s.
Stats:
Median salary: $42,400/year
Average apartment rental cost: $1,752/month
Average cost of living for renters: 28.6 percent above national average
#5 – Anchorage, Alaska
Besides being the most expensive, this is the best city to get paid. The 374, 200 population in Anchorage that’s comprised of 15.7 percent of those in their 20s, where you don’t have to pay state income or sales taxes, plus collecting an annual divident from Alaska’s oil fund if you live there a full year. Of course, the breathtaking outdoors are always a plus.
Stats:
Median salary: $47,600/year
Average apartment rental cost: $1,269/year
Average cost of living for renters: 29.6 percent above national average
#4 – Houston
This Texas town of 5.8 million is set to gain around 10,000 jobs with the new ExxonMobil campus. The University of Houston and the Memorial Hermann Health System also provide many jobs to recent grads, where 14.5 percent of the population are in their 20s.
Stats:
Median salary: $46,800/year
Average apartment rental cost: $1,275/month
Average cost of living for renters: 8.2 percent above national average
#3 – Boulder, Colo.
With the smallest population on the list of 293,205, Boulder provides ample job opportunities with companies like Ball Aerospace, IBM and the University of Colorado Boulder. With young people being 17 percent of the population, the city also enjoys a low unemployment rate of 7.9 percent.
Stats:
Median salary: $41,900/year
Average apartment rental cost: $904/month
Average cost of living for renters: 4.5 percent above national average
#2 – Ann Arbor, Mich.
The University of Michigan, Toyota Technical Center and Trinity Health medical center are some of the major employers within the city of 344,727. An Arbor includes list’s largest share of people in their 20s, with 19.7 percent.
Stats:
Median salary: $41,600/year
Average apartment rental cost: $915/year
Average cost of living for renters: 3.1 percent above national average
#1 – Salt Lake City
A hot spot for outdoor lovers, Salt Lake City is nestled near several canyons and parks. The city has a lower cost of living, a low unemployment rate (5 percent), which is three points below the national average and a blossoming young population of 16.5 percent of people in their 20s out of the 1.1 million population.
Stats:
Median salary: $41,300/year
Average apartment rental cost:$770/month
Average cost of living for renters: 1.5 percent below national aver
