North Carolina home to one of nation’s best cities for recent college grads, report says
One of the best places for college graduates to land is in North Carolina, a national report finds.
Durham ranks No. 9 on a list of U.S. cities with environments that make them ideal places to launch a career, according to the personal finance website WalletHub.
Two other North Carolina cities weren’t far behind in the rankings. Raleigh earned the No. 17 spot and Charlotte the No. 30 spot on the list, results published Monday show.
To determine the top places to start a new chapter, WalletHub said it studied “182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state.” Using data from the federal government and other sources, analysts gave each city scores for quality of life and jobs.
Durham ended up high on the list after getting nods for its professional opportunities, results show.
Among all cities, the Bull City offered the third-largest average starting salary “adjusted for cost of living.” Durham also was among the top overall scorers in the job category, a measure of entry-level positions, unemployment and other factors, according to WalletHub.
But Durham received a lower score for quality of life, which weighed the area’s young adult population, commute times, housing affordability, entertainment options and COVID-19 rates, findings show.
Recent graduates are entering the workforce at a time when the economy is seeing signs of recovery from the pandemic. Many companies have job openings as states continue to loosen coronavirus-related restrictions, The Charlotte Observer reported Thursday.
It’s not the first time North Carolina has earned national recognition for being a top place to live after finishing school.
Last year, Raleigh was No. 2 and Durham No. 11 on a list from the apartment website Zumper, McClatchy News reported.
But North Carolina cities were snubbed on another recent list.
In April, no city in the state made it into SmartAsset’s top 10 places for new graduates. To come up with the findings, the website said it weighed jobs, costs and activities in more than 100 cities.
In the latest WalletHub report, other North Carolina cities on the list included Winston-Salem at No. 86, Greensboro at No. 133 and Fayetteville at No. 164.
Overall, WalletHub said Salt Lake City was the country’s best place to start post-graduation life. Meanwhile, Newark, New Jersey, landed at the bottom of the list.
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