{"h1":"Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Mid-Atlantic","faq":[{"a":"Alexandria is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Mid-Atlantic, with a score of 72 / 100.","q":"Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for new graduates in the mid-atlantic?"},{"a":"32 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 32 entries.","q":"How many cities are ranked?"},{"a":"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.","q":"How is the ranking calculated?"},{"a":"Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.","q":"How often is it updated?"}],"lead":"Alexandria is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Mid-Atlantic, with a score of 72 / 100.","minN":100,"rows":[{"n":584,"bar":1,"key":"VA|alexandria","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/alexandria","name":"Alexandria","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"34%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$139k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"199"}],"value":72.09677419354838,"change":null,"employers":["Kearney","Patent and Trademark Office","Analytic Services (ANSER)"],"valueLabel":"72 / 100"},{"n":377,"bar":0.959731543624161,"key":"MD|annapolis","sub":"MD","href":"/places/maryland/city/annapolis","name":"Annapolis","rank":2,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"44%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$119k"},{"label":"Entry-level 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100"},{"n":163,"bar":0.8411633109619687,"key":"VA|vienna","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/vienna","name":"Vienna","rank":7,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"35%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$131k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"57"}],"value":60.64516129032258,"change":null,"employers":["Esri","Navy Federal Credit Union","Antithesis"],"valueLabel":"61 / 100"},{"n":4457,"bar":0.8389261744966443,"key":"DC|washington","sub":"DC","href":"/places/district-of-columbia/city/washington","name":"Washington","rank":8,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"22%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$147k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"994"}],"value":60.48387096774194,"change":null,"employers":["Anduril Industries","CACI International","Shield AI"],"valueLabel":"60 / 100"},{"n":1514,"bar":0.8232662192393737,"key":"PA|pittsburgh","sub":"PA","href":"/places/pennsylvania/city/pittsburgh","name":"Pittsburgh","rank":9,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"35%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$121k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"533"}],"value":59.35483870967742,"change":null,"employers":["PNC Financial Services Group","Highmark Health","UPMC"],"valueLabel":"59 / 100"},{"n":1136,"bar":0.8031319910514542,"key":"VA|richmond","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/richmond","name":"Richmond","rank":10,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"36%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$99k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"411"}],"value":57.90322580645162,"change":null,"employers":["Mckesson","Capital One","Genworth Financial"],"valueLabel":"58 / 100"},{"n":332,"bar":0.796420581655481,"key":"VA|norfolk","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/norfolk","name":"Norfolk","rank":11,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"40%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$103k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"133"}],"value":57.41935483870968,"change":null,"employers":["Commonwealth of Virginia","Seacorp","United States Fleet Forces Command"],"valueLabel":"57 / 100"},{"n":821,"bar":0.7695749440715883,"key":"VA|herndon","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/herndon","name":"Herndon","rank":12,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"27%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$159k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"222"}],"value":55.48387096774193,"change":null,"employers":["Amazon","AWS","Peraton"],"valueLabel":"55 / 100"},{"n":276,"bar":0.7472035794183445,"key":"MD|fort meade","sub":"MD","href":"/places/maryland/city/fort-meade","name":"Fort 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International","Trinzic","Peraton"],"valueLabel":"49 / 100"},{"n":416,"bar":0.6532438478747203,"key":"NY|buffalo","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/buffalo","name":"Buffalo","rank":20,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"32%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$100k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"134"}],"value":47.09677419354838,"change":null,"employers":["Moog Military Aircraft","University at Buffalo","Moog"],"valueLabel":"47 / 100"},{"n":222,"bar":0.6353467561521253,"key":"NY|white plains","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/white-plains","name":"White Plains","rank":21,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"31%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$121k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"69"}],"value":45.80645161290322,"change":null,"employers":["New York Power Authority","FormativGroup","RWE Clean Energy"],"valueLabel":"46 / 100"},{"n":1155,"bar":0.6219239373601789,"key":"VA|mclean","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/mclean","name":"McLean","rank":22,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"20%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$148k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"229"}],"value":44.83870967741935,"change":null,"employers":["Capital One","The MITRE","Steampunk"],"valueLabel":"45 / 100"},{"n":783,"bar":0.6129753914988815,"key":"VA|reston","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/reston","name":"Reston","rank":23,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"21%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$157k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"162"}],"value":44.19354838709678,"change":null,"employers":["ICF International","CACI International","Anduril Industries"],"valueLabel":"44 / 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100"},{"n":518,"bar":0.5413870246085011,"key":"NY|rochester","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/rochester","name":"Rochester","rank":26,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"31%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$92k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"161"}],"value":39.03225806451613,"change":null,"employers":["L3HARRIS Technologies","Harris Health Strategic Fund","Rochester Institute of Technology"],"valueLabel":"39 / 100"},{"n":396,"bar":0.5167785234899329,"key":"NJ|princeton","sub":"NJ","href":"/places/new-jersey/city/princeton","name":"Princeton","rank":27,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"19%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$163k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"74"}],"value":37.25806451612903,"change":null,"employers":["Genmab A/S","Otsuka","ZS Associates"],"valueLabel":"37 / 100"},{"n":443,"bar":0.4832214765100671,"key":"MD|bethesda","sub":"MD","href":"/places/maryland/city/bethesda","name":"Bethesda","rank":28,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"24%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$136k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"107"}],"value":34.83870967741935,"change":null,"employers":["Black Canyon Consulting","ZoomInfo","Leidos"],"valueLabel":"35 / 100"},{"n":618,"bar":0.4697986577181208,"key":"NJ|jersey city","sub":"NJ","href":"/places/new-jersey/city/jersey-city","name":"Jersey City","rank":29,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"22%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$144k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"133"}],"value":33.87096774193549,"change":null,"employers":["DTCC","Verisk Analytics","JPMorgan Chase"],"valueLabel":"34 / 100"},{"n":426,"bar":0.4563758389261744,"key":"NJ|newark","sub":"NJ","href":"/places/new-jersey/city/newark","name":"Newark","rank":30,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"26%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$119k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"110"}],"value":32.90322580645161,"change":null,"employers":["Broadridge Financial Solutions","Amazon","Audible"],"valueLabel":"33 / 100"},{"n":190,"bar":0.447427293064877,"key":"VA|tysons","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/tysons","name":"Tysons","rank":31,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"26%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$125k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"49"}],"value":32.25806451612903,"change":null,"employers":["M.C. Dean","Alarm.com Holdings","LMI"],"valueLabel":"32 / 100"},{"n":274,"bar":0.2438478747203579,"key":"VA|springfield","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/springfield","name":"Springfield","rank":32,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"20%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$130k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"54"}],"value":17.58064516129032,"change":null,"employers":["CACI International","Caci Technologies","HII Mission Technologies"],"valueLabel":"18 / 100"}],"slug":"best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-mid-atlantic","unit":"openings","scope":{"id":"mid-atlantic","kind":"region","name":"Mid-Atlantic"},"title":"Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Mid-Atlantic","family":"Best overall","method":["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."],"builtAt":"2026-11-03T03:50:28.595Z","edition":"2026-11","measure":"cgrad","sources":["NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay","Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024"],"baseline":null,"keyFacts":["#1 Alexandria, VA: 72 / 100","#2 Annapolis, MD: 69 / 100","#3 Arlington, VA: 66 / 100","32 cities ranked in the Mid-Atlantic","Data as of November 2026"],"placeNoun":"cities","commentary":["The top ten is tightly packed: Alexandria leads on 72 / 100, and #10 Richmond is at 58 / 100.","Vienna reaches #7 on a sample of 163 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.","New York is the largest market in the top ten, with 20,589 openings behind its figure.","Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful."],"license":"Free to use and share with a link to https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-mid-atlantic"}