The 5 Best Cities to Start Your Career

There are many important factors to consider when deciding where to start one’s career. Recent college grads, for example, might want to live close to family or friends, or in an area or region that they are particularly fond of for one reason or another. It’s important to like where you live, but it’s also important to consider economic/job market factors before making a final decision.

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WalletHub recently released their list of best and worst cities to start a career. They analyzed the 150 most populous US cities along 19 metrics, (such as quality of life and professional opportunities), to determine their rankings.

Let’s take a closer look at the five best cities to start your career, according to these findings.

1. Irving, Texas. Professional Opportunities Rank: 1 of 150; Quality of Life Rank: 38 of 150

Coming in first for professional opportunities, Irving, Texas is a great place to start your career. There are lots of entry-level positions available, and this city also ranked high in workforce diversity. The population of the city is on the younger side in comparison with other metro areas ranked here, and the cost of living is also relatively low.

2. Grand Prairie, Texas. Professional Opportunities Rank: 2 of 150; Quality of Life Rank: 49 of 150

Grand Prairie, Texas also ranked very high on the professional opportunities spectrum. Its proximity to other cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington comes with a lot of advantages. But, there are a lot of reasons to recommend a move to Grand Prairie. You might want to consider it as a great city to kick off your career.

3. Austin, Texas. Professional Opportunities Rank: 11 of 150; Quality of Life Rank: 1 of 150

Austin ranked at the very top on the quality of life side of this research. It boasts a low rate of unemployment, and a young population. These factors contribute to the rapidly growing population of this capital city. Austin is a little different culturally than other Texas towns, which dominated this list and other similar studies recently.

4. Denver, Colorado. Professional Opportunities Rank: 8 of 150; Quality of Life Rank: 13 of 150

Bucking the Texas trend, Denver comes in a solid #4 on this list of best cities to start your career. Its ranking is well rounded – balancing professional opportunities with a high quality of life ranking. Check out the methodology used to analyze these cities for more specific information about this. Denver has both a high median income growth rate and a relatively young population, for example.

5. Houston, Texas. Professional Opportunities Rank: 3 of 150; Quality of Life Rank: 71 of 150

The professional opportunities available in Houston, more than the quality of life ranking, landed this city in the top five. Houston may be literally too hot for some people, but others say it’s one of the best cities in the US.

Check out the five worst cities to start your career. And, be sure to take a look at the complete list of all 150 cities for more information.

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