Recent college grads looking for the right city to find their first job don't have to look farther than Austin, which was just ranked the fourth best city for starting a career.
Austin's top-five rank comes in WalletHub's just-released report of the "Best and Worst Places to Start a Career" in 2025. The study analyzed 182 U.S. cities for their professional opportunities (such as annual job growth rates and and workforce diversity) and quality of life (median annual income, population growth, family-friendliness).
The Texas capital moved up four spots from its former No. 8 rank in 2024. Atlanta, Georgia, held on to its first-place rank as the best place to start a career. Rounding out the top five are the Florida cities of Orlando (No. 2), Tampa (No. 3), and Miami (No. 5).
This year, Austin led the nation as the No. 1 city with the best quality of life and ranked 16th in the professional opportunities category.
The city is known for being a highly sought-after place for tech workers and entrepreneurs, and Austin residents are among the most hardworking in the country. The city's abundance of kid-friendly restaurants and recreational activities also makes it a great place for starting a family.
According to WalletHub, Austin college grads are entering the job market at the right time due to an "employment shortage" where many employers are "eager to hire."
"The best cities for starting a career not only have a lot of job opportunities but also provide substantial income growth potential and satisfying work conditions," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "It’s also important to consider factors such as how fun a city is to live in or how good of a place it is for raising a family, to ensure life satisfaction outside of your career."
Austin's average commute time and its housing affordability were additional factors that swayed its ranking.
Other Texas cities that earned spots in the report include Dallas (No. 36), Fort Worth (No. 49), Plano (No. 55), Houston (No. 66), Irving (No. 73), San Antonio (No. 80), and Arlington (No. 84).
The top 10 best places to start a career are:
- No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
- No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
- No. 3 – Tampa, Florida
- No. 4 – Austin, Texas
- No. 5 – Miami, Florida
- No. 6 – Charleston, South Carolina
- No. 7 – Richmond, Virginia
- No. 8 – Salt Lake City, Utah
- No. 9 – Columbia, South Carolina
- No. 10 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The U.S. cities that flopped as the worst places for starting a career are: Pearl City, Hawaii (No. 182); Bridgeport, Connecticut (No. 181); and Oxnard, California (No. 180).
