Atlanta was named the No. 1 city for new college graduates, according to a survey published on MarketWatch.

The ATL earned the top spot because of its low rent and high starting wages. The median price for a one-bedroom apartment is $800 and the mean entry-level income is $43,000, according to the survey which was calculated by Homes.com and ForRentUniversity.com. The city also earned props for the number of post-secondary educational institutions (Georgia Tech, Georgia State) and Fortune 500 companies.

Atlanta beat out Dallas, which earned the No. 2 spot and Houston, which came in third. See the whole list here.

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Students line up after school for school buses at Sequoyah Middle School in Doraville on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. The school’s principal told teachers not to talk to students about ICE, and teachers and activists are pushing back. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

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Students line up after school for school buses at Sequoyah Middle School in Doraville on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. The school’s principal told teachers not to talk to students about ICE, and teachers and activists are pushing back. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com