150 most populous US cities ranked by professional opportunities
By Rachel Gillett
If you think the promised land for starting your career is New York City or San Francisco, think again.
Your best prospects for building your new life are actually in Irving, Texas, according to personal finance site WalletHub.
To determine the best places for recent college graduates to launch their burgeoning careers, WalletHub analyzed and ranked the 150 most populous US cities based on 19 metrics pertaining to professional opportunities and quality of life.
Metrics included the number of entry-level jobs per 10,000 residents, housing affordability, annual job growth rate, recreation ranking, unemployment rate, and number of leisure establishments in the area.
If you think the promised land for starting your career is New York City or San Francisco, think again.
Your best prospects for building your new life are actually in Irving, Texas, according to personal finance site WalletHub.
To determine the best places for recent college graduates to launch their burgeoning careers, WalletHub analyzed and ranked the 150 most populous US cities based on 19 metrics pertaining to professional opportunities and quality of life.
Metrics included the number of entry-level jobs per 10,000 residents, housing affordability, annual job growth rate, recreation ranking, unemployment rate, and number of leisure establishments in the area.
10. Tulsa, Oklahoma
1/10
Monthly median starting salary: $2,754Number of entry-level jobs per 10,000 residents: 16
Coming in at No. 10 overall is Tulsa, Oklahoma. It earned a professional opportunities rank of No. 5 and ranked No. 61 for quality of life. WalletHub also ranks the city as the second best for entrepreneurial activity.
9. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2/10
Monthly median starting salary: $2,190Number of entry-level jobs per 10,000 residents: 9
WalletHub ranks Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the second best city for families and the sixth best for entrepreneurial activity, which makes the city the fourth best in terms of overall quality of life and No. 18 for overall professional opportunities.
8. Fort Worth, Texas
3/10
Monthly median starting salary: $3,013Number of entry-level jobs per 10,000 residents: 29
Affordable housing options is one of the many reasons Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the best cities for overall professional opportunities and No. 41 for quality of life.
7. Fremont, California
4/10
Monthly median starting salary: $2,634Number of entry-level jobs per 10,000 residents: 195
The median annual income in Fremont, California, is $71,593, the third highest of the 150 cities analyzed. This contributes to the city's overall professional opportunities rank of No. 9 and fairly high quality of life score.