Atlanta one of the best U.S. cities in which to start a career
It’s graduation season, when fresh-faced 20-somethings — and nontraditional graduates — are entering the search for a job.
“Unfortunately, new graduates aren’t entering the market at a great time, as the unemployment rate for people ages 20 through 24 was 10.5% in April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the financial website WalletHub wrote. “The good news is that employers plan to hire 7.2% more graduates from the Class of 2021 than they did from the Class of 2020.”
Where graduates plan to begin their career can go a long way toward their success. To help new graduates start their search for a career, WalletHub 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 key dimensions: professional opportunities and quality of life. Those two dimensions were evaluated using 28 key metrics that ranged from the availability of entry-level jobs to monthly average starting salary to housing affordability to determine 2021′s Best & Worst Places to Start a Career.
If you plan to start your career in Atlanta, you’re making a good choice, according to WalletHub’s analysis.
Atlanta finished No. 3 of the 182 cities in the ranking, with a score of 64.99 out of 100.
In addition to finishing No. 3 for professional opportunities and No. 19 for quality of life, Atlanta ranked:
- 40th – projected population growth (2046 vs. 2016)
- 22nd – monthly average starting salary (adjusted for cost of living)
- 10th – entry-level jobs per 100,000 working-age population
- 9th – annual job growth rate (adjusted for population growth)
- 60th – unemployment rate
- 15th – % of adults 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree
- 92nd – average daily COVID-19 cases in the past week per capita
Georgia’s two other cities in the analysis, Augusta and Columbus, finished 95 and 176, respectively.
Salt Lake City topped this year’s list, with Newark, New Jersey, finishing last.
About the Author
Nancy Clanton is a lead producer for The AJC's platforms team, but also writes stories about health, travel, events and entertainment. A native of Knoxville and graduate of the University of Tennessee, she has worked at the AJC for 24 years.
