Best all-round cities for new graduates in New England
Key facts
- #1 Quincy, MA: 70 / 100
- #2 Waltham, MA: 59 / 100
- #3 Somerville, MA: 58 / 100
- 11 cities ranked in New England
- Data as of November 2026
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Quincy (70 / 100) is well clear of Watertown at #10 (41 / 100).
- Watertown reaches #10 on a sample of 146 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Boston is the largest market in the top ten, with 5,338 openings behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 100 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
Quincy MA
70 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 29%
- Pay after cost of living
- $152k
- Entry-level openings
- 49
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Anduril, J.Jill
Based on 169 openings.
- 2
Waltham MA
59 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 20%
- Pay after cost of living
- $182k
- Entry-level openings
- 124
Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry
Based on 634 openings.
- 3
Somerville MA
58 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 21%
- Pay after cost of living
- $155k
- Entry-level openings
- 73
Hiring most here: Formlabs, Tulip Interfaces, Generate Biomedicines
Based on 354 openings.
- 4
Lexington MA
56 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 21%
- Pay after cost of living
- $162k
- Entry-level openings
- 53
Hiring most here: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab), Takeda Development Center Americas, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International
Based on 253 openings.
- 5
Boston MA
52 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 18%
- Pay after cost of living
- $157k
- Entry-level openings
- 943
Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Confidential, Takeda Development Center Americas
Based on 5,338 openings.
- 6
Hartford CT
49 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 26%
- Pay after cost of living
- $130k
- Entry-level openings
- 96
Hiring most here: CVS HEALTH, Hartford HealthCare, Eversource Energy
Based on 366 openings.
- 8
Stamford CT
47 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 24%
- Pay after cost of living
- $140k
- Entry-level openings
- 82
Hiring most here: Philip Morris International, Gartner, Charter Communications
Based on 336 openings.
- 9
Cambridge MA
44 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 13%
- Pay after cost of living
- $187k
- Entry-level openings
- 151
Hiring most here: Harvard University, Biogen, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Based on 1,204 openings.
- 10
Watertown MA
41 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 16%
- Pay after cost of living
- $193k
- Entry-level openings
- 23
Hiring most here: Tutor Intelligence, Kymera Therapeutics, Treeline Biosciences
Based on 146 openings.
- 11
Burlington MA
30 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 20%
- Pay after cost of living
- $140k
- Entry-level openings
- 45
Hiring most here: Veracode, Vericel, Tufts Medicine Care AT Home
Based on 227 openings.
Full ranking
All 11 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
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 100 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 in new england?
- Quincy is the best all-round city for new graduates in New England, with a score of 70 / 100.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 11 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 11 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
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- Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in New England
- Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in New England
- Cities with the most hybrid jobs in New England
- Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in New England
- Best all-round cities for new graduates
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for new graduates in New England,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-new-england
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-new-england">Best all-round cities for new graduates in New England (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
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