Graduation season is in full swing, and millions of budding professionals across America are turning their tassels and setting out to land their first full-time gigs. Growing Midwest and Southern cities are outshining hubs like New York and L.A. as the best destinations for new workers.
Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama, is the top U.S. metropolitan area for new graduates to find work on the college-level career path, according to a recent study from ADP. The region offers the best opportunity for entry-level professionals, based on annual wages ($59,004) for young workers’ jobs that require “considerable preparation,” hiring rates for talent in their 20s (2.8%), and the area’s affordability. Birmingham dethroned Raleigh, North Carolina, after its two-year run at the top, now ranked fifth, boasting an average annual wage estimate of $56,372 and a hiring rate of 2.8%.
