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 77 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Question 1

Where are you right now?

Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.

Get new professional jobs by email

We’ll email you when new matches are posted. No account needed.

Key facts

  • #1 Redmond, WA: 77 / 100
  • #2 Long Beach, CA: 71 / 100
  • #3 Sacramento, CA: 67 / 100
  • 100 cities ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Redmond WA77 / 100
  2. 2Long Beach CA71 / 100
  3. 3Sacramento CA67 / 100
  4. 4Santa Ana CA67 / 100
  5. 5Alexandria VA66 / 100
  6. 6Mundelein IL65 / 100
  7. 7Annapolis MD65 / 100
  8. 8Manassas VA64 / 100
  9. 9Raleigh NC64 / 100
  10. 10Louisville KY64 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Redmond leads on 77 / 100, and #10 Louisville is at 64 / 100.
  • Manassas reaches #8 on a sample of 231 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Louisville is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,064 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

    77 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    35%
    Pay after cost of living
    $195k
    Entry-level openings
    400

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 1,147 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Redmond

  2. 2

    Long Beach CA

    71 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    32%
    Pay after cost of living
    $140k
    Entry-level openings
    271

    Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast

    Based on 840 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Long Beach

  3. 3

    Sacramento CA

    67 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    33%
    Pay after cost of living
    $127k
    Entry-level openings
    456

    Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, Nalu Medical

    Based on 1,364 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sacramento

  4. 4

    Santa Ana CA

    67 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    33%
    Pay after cost of living
    $155k
    Entry-level openings
    86

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

    Based on 258 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Ana

  5. 5

    Alexandria VA

    66 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    34%
    Pay after cost of living
    $139k
    Entry-level openings
    199

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

    Based on 584 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Alexandria

  6. 6

    Mundelein IL

    65 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    36%
    Pay after cost of living
    $136k
    Entry-level openings
    88

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 247 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mundelein

  7. 7

    Annapolis MD

    65 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    44%
    Pay after cost of living
    $119k
    Entry-level openings
    164

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Luminis Health, TEKsystems

    Based on 377 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Annapolis

  8. 8

    Manassas VA

    64 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    38%
    Pay after cost of living
    $136k
    Entry-level openings
    88

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

    Based on 231 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Manassas

  9. 9

    Raleigh NC

    64 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    35%
    Pay after cost of living
    $121k
    Entry-level openings
    505

    Hiring most here: First Citizens Bank, Dewberry, MaintainX

    Based on 1,427 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Raleigh

  10. 10

    Louisville KY

    64 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    34%
    Pay after cost of living
    $115k
    Entry-level openings
    710

    Hiring most here: BrightSpring Health Services, Norton Healthcare, GE Appliances

    Based on 2,064 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Louisville

  11. 11

    Columbus OH

    63 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    36%
    Pay after cost of living
    $115k
    Entry-level openings
    689

    Hiring most here: State of Ohio, Nationwide, Ohio State University-Newark Campus

    Based on 1,892 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Columbus

  12. 12

    Arlington VA

    63 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    28%
    Pay after cost of living
    $143k
    Entry-level openings
    559

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Bloomberg Industry Group

    Based on 1,989 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Arlington

  13. 13

    Austin TX

    62 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    26%
    Pay after cost of living
    $166k
    Entry-level openings
    1,560

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare

    Based on 5,903 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Austin

  14. 14

    San Francisco CA

    62 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    20%
    Pay after cost of living
    $186k
    Entry-level openings
    2,312

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

    Based on 11,798 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Francisco

  15. 15

    New York NY

    62 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    24%
    Pay after cost of living
    $147k
    Entry-level openings
    4,970

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley

    Based on 20,589 openings.

    Jobs and employers in New York

  16. 16

    Pittsburgh PA

    60 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    35%
    Pay after cost of living
    $121k
    Entry-level openings
    533

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

    Based on 1,514 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Pittsburgh

  17. 17

    Tallahassee FL

    60 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    45%
    Pay after cost of living
    $106k
    Entry-level openings
    342

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

    Based on 759 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Tallahassee

  18. 18

    Mc Lean VA

    59 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    31%
    Pay after cost of living
    $161k
    Entry-level openings
    72

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

    Based on 234 openings.

  19. 19

    San Antonio TX

    59 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    36%
    Pay after cost of living
    $116k
    Entry-level openings
    464

    Hiring most here: H-E-B, University Health San Antonio, UT Health San Antonio

    Based on 1,282 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Antonio

  20. 20

    Charlotte NC

    59 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    32%
    Pay after cost of living
    $125k
    Entry-level openings
    1,026

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

    Based on 3,198 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Charlotte

  21. 21

    Cincinnati OH

    59 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    40%
    Pay after cost of living
    $107k
    Entry-level openings
    549

    Hiring most here: Medpace Holdings, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Procter & Gamble

    Based on 1,379 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cincinnati

  22. 22

    El Segundo CA

    59 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    27%
    Pay after cost of living
    $144k
    Entry-level openings
    255

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

    Based on 949 openings.

    Jobs and employers in El Segundo

  23. 23

    Springfield IL

    59 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    42%
    Pay after cost of living
    $103k
    Entry-level openings
    118

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

    Based on 283 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  24. 24

    Cleveland OH

    58 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    37%
    Pay after cost of living
    $102k
    Entry-level openings
    329

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank

    Based on 891 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cleveland

  25. 25

    Richmond VA

    58 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    36%
    Pay after cost of living
    $99k
    Entry-level openings
    411

    Hiring most here: Mckesson, Capital One, Genworth Financial

    Based on 1,136 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Richmond

Full ranking

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

RankCityScoreSample
1Redmond WA77 / 1001,147
2Long Beach CA71 / 100840
3Sacramento CA67 / 1001,364
4Santa Ana CA67 / 100258
5Alexandria VA66 / 100584
6Mundelein IL65 / 100247
7Annapolis MD65 / 100377
8Manassas VA64 / 100231
9Raleigh NC64 / 1001,427
10Louisville KY64 / 1002,064
11Columbus OH63 / 1001,892
12Arlington VA63 / 1001,989
13Austin TX62 / 1005,903
14San Francisco CA62 / 10011,798
15New York NY62 / 10020,589
16Pittsburgh PA60 / 1001,514
17Tallahassee FL60 / 100759
18Mc Lean VA59 / 100234
19San Antonio TX59 / 1001,282
20Charlotte NC59 / 1003,198
21Cincinnati OH59 / 1001,379
22El Segundo CA59 / 100949
23Springfield IL59 / 100283
24Cleveland OH58 / 100891
25Richmond VA58 / 1001,136
26Washington DC58 / 1004,457
27St. Louis MO58 / 100537
28Los Angeles CA57 / 1005,126
29Denver CO57 / 1002,867
30Norfolk VA57 / 100332
31Seattle WA57 / 1005,343
32Torrance CA57 / 100735
33Sunnyvale CA56 / 1001,556
34Schaumburg IL56 / 100218
35Atlanta GA56 / 1005,566
36Herndon VA55 / 100821
37Tampa FL55 / 1001,738
38Kansas City MO54 / 100879
39Irvine CA54 / 1001,503
40Boulder CO54 / 100423
41Salt Lake City UT53 / 1001,048
42Palo Alto CA53 / 1001,237
43Indianapolis IN52 / 1001,422
44Fort Meade MD52 / 100276
45Ann Arbor MI52 / 100350
46Boston MA52 / 1005,143
47Syracuse NY52 / 100400
48Rockville MD52 / 100355
49Las Vegas NV51 / 100932
50Reno NV51 / 100296
51San Jose CA51 / 1002,379
52Milwaukee WI51 / 100827
53Philadelphia PA51 / 1001,820
54Chicago IL50 / 1007,607
55Dallas TX50 / 1004,429
56Santa Clara CA50 / 1001,530
57Chantilly VA50 / 100555
58Nashville TN50 / 1001,650
59Boca Raton FL50 / 100344
60Fort Worth TX49 / 1001,267
61Tempe AZ49 / 100672
62Mountain View CA49 / 1001,515
63Scottsdale AZ49 / 100758
64Jacksonville FL49 / 1001,071
65Waltham MA49 / 100583
66Fremont CA49 / 100470
67Boise ID49 / 100360
68San Mateo CA49 / 100894
69Houston TX49 / 1004,330
70Fort Lauderdale FL48 / 100572
71Alpharetta GA48 / 100576
72San Diego CA48 / 1003,085
73Phoenix AZ48 / 1002,749
74Detroit MI48 / 100734
75Miami FL47 / 1002,344
76Aurora CO47 / 100335
77Brooklyn NY47 / 100680
78Huntsville AL47 / 1001,154
79Oklahoma City OK47 / 100569
80Buffalo NY45 / 100416
81Plano TX45 / 1001,051
82Bellevue WA45 / 1001,396
83White Plains NY45 / 100222
84Broomfield CO45 / 100285
85San Carlos CA45 / 100210
86Omaha NE45 / 100545
87Somerville MA44 / 100295
88Portland OR44 / 100792
89Minneapolis MN43 / 1001,276
90Irving TX43 / 100883
91Reston VA42 / 100783
92Lexington MA42 / 100255
93Orlando FL42 / 1001,272
94Quincy MA42 / 100258
95Cambridge MA42 / 1001,141
96Milpitas CA42 / 100257
97McLean VA42 / 1001,155
98Baltimore MD41 / 1001,066
99Albany NY41 / 100366
100Redwood City CA41 / 100471

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 77 / 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.

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