Atlanta is the best city to launch a career, while Pearl City, Hawaii, is the worst, according to an analysis published May 12 by WalletHub.
The personal finance website compared 182 cities — including the 150 most-populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across two dimensions, professional opportunities and quality of life.
WalletHub evaluated the dimensions using metrics, ranging from availability of entry-level jobs to singles-friendliness.
Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the best conditions for job-market entrants. WalletHub used each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and rank-order the places. More information about the methodology is available here.
The best cities to start a career, per the analysis:
1. Atlanta — 69.33
2. Orlando, Fla. — 68.50
3. Tampa, Fla. — 65.26
4. Austin, Texas — 63.38
5. Miami — 61.69
6. Charleston, S.C. — 60.82
7. Richmond, Va. — 59.96
8. Salt Lake City — 58.90
9. Columbia, S.C. — 58.72
10. Pittsburgh — 58.71
The worst cities to start a career, per the analysis:
1. Pearl City, Hawaii — 33.23
2. Bridgeport, Conn. — 33.49
3. Oxnard, Calif. — 34.05
4. New York City — 34.13
5. Detroit — 35.62
6. Shreveport, La. — 35.94
7. Santa Clarita, Calif. — 36.18
8. Newark, N.J. — 36.23
9. Toledo, Ohio — 36.66
10. Moreno Valley, Calif. — 36.71
