Austin metropolitan area lands atop list of best U.S. cities to launch a career
The Austin area is officially the best place in the country to start a career, at least by some measurements.
Consumer financial services company Bankrate collectively ranked Austin, Round Rock and Georgetown as the number one area in the U.S. for people — especially Millennials and members of Gen Z — to launch their careers in 2023, edging out cities like Seattle, Nashville and Dallas.
More: Central Texas city is the fastest-growing city in America. And it isn't Austin.
The ranking revealed a pattern showing young people searching for entry-level opportunities are choosing to move to Southern cities over places like New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Austin-area ranks first in quality of life
Bankrate considered three criteria to inform its ranking: rent price affordability, employment opportunities and overall quality of life. Taken together, Austin and surrounding cities ended up on top.
More: Despite plummeting home sales prices, Austin-area housing market 'stable,' experts say
The greater Austin metropolitan area, which includes Round Rock and Georgetown, ranked first in quality of life, third in employment opportunities and 12th in rent affordability. Bankrate cited the area's proximity to the University of Texas and a plethora of outdoor activities as evidence for its compatibility with young people. Bankrate also pointed to the significant growth in the presence of technology companies like Samsung and Tesla in Austin.
In May 2022, employment-focused social media platform LinkedIn published a career guide in which Austin ranked first in year-over-year hiring growth at 21%, more than five percentage points higher than the second-ranked finisher. Most of that growth was in the technology and information industry.
More: Austin drops in 'best places to live' report — again. Here's why.
Here's the full ranking, according to Bankrate
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington
Salt Lake City, Utah
Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, Tennessee
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Indiana
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, Georgia
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
More: Austin breaks into top 10 list of largest U.S. cities
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Best cities to live in at start of career includes Austin metro
