College graduates are turning their tassels and searching for cities with ample job opportunities as AI swipes white-collar roles. But popular hotspots like New York City and Los Angeles may not be their best bet—they may have better luck kick-starting their adult lives in less glitzy cities.
The top 10 best big U.S. cities for recent college graduates have dropped—based on starting salaries and housing metrics—and some of the flashiest metropolises didn’t make the cut. Washington, D.C., is ranked No. 1 for the budding professionals, according to a recent report from Glassdoor and Redfin; average annual early-career earnings in D.C. rest at $79,857, the median price of a starter home is $320,000, and monthly rent accounts for about 34% of income.
