NextChapter

Best all-round cities for new graduates

Redmond is the best all-round city for new graduates in the United States, with a score of 80 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Redmond, WA: 80 / 100
  • #2 Long Beach, CA: 72 / 100
  • #3 Sacramento, CA: 68 / 100
  • 100 cities ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Redmond WA80 / 100
  2. 2Long Beach CA72 / 100
  3. 3Sacramento CA68 / 100
  4. 4Raleigh NC67 / 100
  5. 5Santa Ana CA66 / 100
  6. 6Pittsburgh PA66 / 100
  7. 7Annapolis MD66 / 100
  8. 8Alexandria VA65 / 100
  9. 9Springfield IL65 / 100
  10. 10Arlington VA64 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Redmond leads on 80 / 100, and #10 Arlington is at 64 / 100.
  • Santa Ana reaches #5 on a sample of 277 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Arlington is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,079 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 200 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

New graduates need a place with many entry-level roles, pay that covers the cost of living and employers that state their pay. This list weighs those together and shows the weights, so it ranks the all-round picture rather than one number.

How to use it

Start with the top ten and read each city's numbers against what you value most. If one thing matters most to you, such as pay, switch to the single-measure list for it.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Redmond WA

    80 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    34%
    Pay after cost of living
    $195k
    Entry-level openings
    400

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 1,166 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Redmond

  2. 2

    Long Beach CA

    72 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    31%
    Pay after cost of living
    $140k
    Entry-level openings
    272

    Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast

    Based on 876 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Long Beach

  3. 3

    Sacramento CA

    68 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    32%
    Pay after cost of living
    $131k
    Entry-level openings
    457

    Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, BKF Engineers

    Based on 1,431 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sacramento

  4. 4

    Raleigh NC

    67 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    33%
    Pay after cost of living
    $133k
    Entry-level openings
    506

    Hiring most here: First Citizens Bank, Dewberry, MaintainX

    Based on 1,515 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Raleigh

  5. 5

    Santa Ana CA

    66 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    31%
    Pay after cost of living
    $154k
    Entry-level openings
    86

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, First American Financial, Anduril

    Based on 277 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Ana

  6. 6

    Pittsburgh PA

    66 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    33%
    Pay after cost of living
    $138k
    Entry-level openings
    530

    Hiring most here: PNC Financial Services Group, Highmark Health, UPMC

    Based on 1,592 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Pittsburgh

  7. 7

    Annapolis MD

    66 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    42%
    Pay after cost of living
    $124k
    Entry-level openings
    164

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Luminis Health, TEKsystems

    Based on 391 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Annapolis

  8. 8

    Alexandria VA

    65 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    32%
    Pay after cost of living
    $139k
    Entry-level openings
    196

    Hiring most here: Kearney, Patent and Trademark Office, Analytic Services (ANSER)

    Based on 618 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Alexandria

  9. 9

    Springfield IL

    65 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    37%
    Pay after cost of living
    $125k
    Entry-level openings
    121

    Hiring most here: State of Illinois, Army National Guard Units, Hshs Medical Group

    Based on 323 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  10. 10

    Arlington VA

    64 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    27%
    Pay after cost of living
    $146k
    Entry-level openings
    558

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Bloomberg Industry Group

    Based on 2,079 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Arlington

  11. 11

    Manassas VA

    64 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    36%
    Pay after cost of living
    $137k
    Entry-level openings
    86

    Hiring most here: General Dynamics Mission Systems, Electra.Aero, Holder Construction

    Based on 236 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Manassas

  12. 12

    Mundelein IL

    64 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    35%
    Pay after cost of living
    $134k
    Entry-level openings
    88

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 255 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mundelein

  13. 13

    Louisville KY

    63 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    31%
    Pay after cost of living
    $126k
    Entry-level openings
    710

    Hiring most here: Deloitte, BrightSpring Health Services, Norton Healthcare

    Based on 2,319 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Louisville

  14. 14

    Austin TX

    62 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    25%
    Pay after cost of living
    $168k
    Entry-level openings
    1,549

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare

    Based on 6,257 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Austin

  15. 15

    New York NY

    62 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    22%
    Pay after cost of living
    $150k
    Entry-level openings
    4,952

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley

    Based on 22,145 openings.

    Jobs and employers in New York

  16. 16

    United PA

    62 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    34%
    Pay after cost of living
    $138k
    Entry-level openings
    79

    Based on 234 openings.

  17. 17

    Tallahassee FL

    62 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    41%
    Pay after cost of living
    $121k
    Entry-level openings
    343

    Hiring most here: State of Florida, L3HARRIS Technologies, NextEra Energy

    Based on 840 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Tallahassee

  18. 18

    San Francisco CA

    62 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    18%
    Pay after cost of living
    $186k
    Entry-level openings
    2,266

    Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation

    Based on 12,335 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Francisco

  19. 19

    Columbus OH

    61 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    34%
    Pay after cost of living
    $120k
    Entry-level openings
    693

    Hiring most here: State of Ohio, Nationwide, American Electric Power

    Based on 2,024 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Columbus

  20. 20

    El Segundo CA

    61 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    26%
    Pay after cost of living
    $145k
    Entry-level openings
    249

    Hiring most here: Chaos Industries, Radiant, Varda Space Industries

    Based on 959 openings.

    Jobs and employers in El Segundo

  21. 21

    Cincinnati OH

    60 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    38%
    Pay after cost of living
    $115k
    Entry-level openings
    551

    Hiring most here: Medpace Holdings, Procter & Gamble, Western & Southern Financial Group

    Based on 1,451 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cincinnati

  22. 22

    Mc Lean VA

    60 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    30%
    Pay after cost of living
    $161k
    Entry-level openings
    72

    Hiring most here: Capital One, Booz Allen Hamilton, Sunrise Senior Living

    Based on 242 openings.

  23. 23

    Charlotte NC

    60 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    30%
    Pay after cost of living
    $131k
    Entry-level openings
    1,027

    Hiring most here: Truist Financial, Scout Motors, SMBC Americas

    Based on 3,402 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Charlotte

  24. 24

    Torrance CA

    60 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    26%
    Pay after cost of living
    $149k
    Entry-level openings
    194

    Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros

    Based on 745 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Torrance

  25. 25

    Richmond VA

    60 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    35%
    Pay after cost of living
    $103k
    Entry-level openings
    418

    Hiring most here: Mckesson, Capital One, Genworth Financial

    Based on 1,209 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Richmond

Full ranking

All 100 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Redmond WA80 / 1001,166
2Long Beach CA72 / 100876
3Sacramento CA68 / 1001,431
4Raleigh NC67 / 1001,515
5Santa Ana CA66 / 100277
6Pittsburgh PA66 / 1001,592
7Annapolis MD66 / 100391
8Alexandria VA65 / 100618
9Springfield IL65 / 100323
10Arlington VA64 / 1002,079
11Manassas VA64 / 100236
12Mundelein IL64 / 100255
13Louisville KY63 / 1002,319
14Austin TX62 / 1006,257
15New York NY62 / 10022,145
16United PA62 / 100234
17Tallahassee FL62 / 100840
18San Francisco CA62 / 10012,335
19Columbus OH61 / 1002,024
20El Segundo CA61 / 100959
21Cincinnati OH60 / 1001,451
22Mc Lean VA60 / 100242
23Charlotte NC60 / 1003,402
24Torrance CA60 / 100745
25Richmond VA60 / 1001,209
26San Antonio TX59 / 1001,352
27Harrisburg PA58 / 100300
28Cleveland OH58 / 100917
29St. Louis MO58 / 100596
30Birmingham AL57 / 100617
31Washington DC57 / 1004,748
32Seattle WA56 / 1005,635
33Irvine CA56 / 1001,587
34Denver CO56 / 1002,996
35Sunnyvale CA56 / 1001,655
36Herndon VA56 / 100849
37Los Angeles CA56 / 1005,439
38Salt Lake City UT56 / 1001,102
39Schaumburg IL56 / 100242
40Tampa FL55 / 1001,845
41Norfolk VA55 / 100342
42Kansas City MO55 / 100916
43Virginia Beach VA55 / 100275
44Atlanta GA55 / 1005,877
45Boulder CO54 / 100454
46Ann Arbor MI54 / 100362
47Boise ID54 / 100391
48Addison TX53 / 100215
49Fort Meade MD53 / 100275
50Chantilly VA53 / 100553
51Madison WI53 / 100526
52Boston MA53 / 1005,338
53Plano TX53 / 1001,109
54Palo Alto CA53 / 1001,263
55Dayton OH52 / 100446
56St. Paul MN52 / 100232
57Scottsdale AZ52 / 100772
58Nashville TN52 / 1001,737
59Indianapolis IN52 / 1001,496
60Rockville MD52 / 100383
61Santa Clara CA52 / 1001,689
62San Jose CA51 / 1002,552
63Huntsville AL51 / 1001,196
64Las Vegas NV51 / 100980
65Tempe AZ51 / 100688
66Dallas TX51 / 1004,778
67Chicago IL51 / 1008,033
68San Diego CA51 / 1003,240
69Mountain View CA51 / 1001,637
70Syracuse NY50 / 100419
71Greensboro NC50 / 100446
72Aurora CO50 / 100347
73Houston TX50 / 1004,621
74Alpharetta GA49 / 100614
75Boca Raton FL49 / 100369
76San Mateo CA49 / 100960
77Fort Lauderdale FL49 / 100624
78Waltham MA49 / 100634
79Reno NV49 / 100311
80Jacksonville FL49 / 1001,131
81Philadelphia PA49 / 1001,960
82Fremont CA48 / 100510
83Phoenix AZ48 / 1002,922
84Fort Worth TX48 / 1001,339
85Brooklyn NY48 / 100693
86Miami FL47 / 1002,485
87Bellevue WA47 / 1001,455
88Buffalo NY47 / 100461
89San Carlos CA47 / 100211
90Milwaukee WI46 / 100909
91Detroit MI46 / 100786
92McLean VA46 / 1001,182
93Broomfield CO46 / 100294
94Oklahoma City OK46 / 100581
95Omaha NE45 / 100577
96Alameda CA45 / 100215
97Minneapolis MN45 / 1001,313
98Somerville MA44 / 100354
99Portland OR44 / 100837
100Reston VA44 / 100828

How this ranking works

A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): entry-level share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 25%, entry-level openings 20%, openings with pay posted 15%.

A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most.

Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 200 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for new graduates?
Redmond is the best all-round city for new graduates in the United States, with a score of 80 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
100 cities have at least 200 openings, so the list has 100 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): entry-level share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 25%, entry-level openings 20%, openings with pay posted 15%. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most. Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for new graduates,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates">Best all-round cities for new graduates (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

The job market, once a week

One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.

Applying and hearing nothing back?

Find out where you stand: your odds, the jobs that fit you and a plan for the week ahead. Free. No résumé needed.

Already a member? Log in

Get my Market Reality Assessment

Run a workforce board, job center or economic development office, or hire in the places and industries on this list?

Leave your work email. We'll send how organizations use NextChapter to reach job seekers.

See how organizations use it