NextChapter

Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Northeast

New York is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Northeast, with a score of 66 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 New York, NY: 66 / 100
  • #2 Pittsburgh, PA: 63 / 100
  • #3 Syracuse, NY: 60 / 100
  • 19 cities ranked in the Northeast
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1New York NY66 / 100
  2. 2Pittsburgh PA63 / 100
  3. 3Syracuse NY60 / 100
  4. 4Brooklyn NY57 / 100
  5. 5Philadelphia PA56 / 100
  6. 6Buffalo NY54 / 100
  7. 7Waltham MA54 / 100
  8. 8Boston MA54 / 100
  9. 9Somerville MA51 / 100
  10. 10Cambridge MA48 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: New York leads on 66 / 100, and #10 Cambridge is at 48 / 100.
  • Somerville reaches #9 on a sample of 295 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.

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

    New York NY

    66 / 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

  2. 2

    Pittsburgh PA

    63 / 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

  3. 3

    Syracuse NY

    60 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    36%
    Pay after cost of living
    $109k
    Entry-level openings
    143

    Hiring most here: Upstate Medical University, Hidden Level, HII Mission Technologies

    Based on 400 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Syracuse

  4. 4

    Brooklyn NY

    57 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    27%
    Pay after cost of living
    $126k
    Entry-level openings
    186

    Hiring most here: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Williams-Sonoma, Altana AI

    Based on 680 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Brooklyn

  5. 5

    Philadelphia PA

    56 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    27%
    Pay after cost of living
    $127k
    Entry-level openings
    499

    Hiring most here: Confidential, GSK, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

    Based on 1,820 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Philadelphia

  6. 6

    Buffalo NY

    54 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    32%
    Pay after cost of living
    $100k
    Entry-level openings
    134

    Hiring most here: Moog Military Aircraft, University at Buffalo, Moog

    Based on 416 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Buffalo

  7. 7

    Waltham MA

    54 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    22%
    Pay after cost of living
    $183k
    Entry-level openings
    126

    Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry

    Based on 583 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Waltham

  8. 8

    Boston MA

    54 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    19%
    Pay after cost of living
    $157k
    Entry-level openings
    984

    Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential

    Based on 5,143 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Boston

  9. 9

    Somerville MA

    51 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    25%
    Pay after cost of living
    $137k
    Entry-level openings
    74

    Hiring most here: Formlabs, Tulip Interfaces, Generate Biomedicines

    Based on 295 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Somerville

  10. 10

    Cambridge MA

    48 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    13%
    Pay after cost of living
    $187k
    Entry-level openings
    153

    Hiring most here: Harvard University, Biogen, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

    Based on 1,141 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cambridge

  11. 11

    Albany NY

    48 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    31%
    Pay after cost of living
    $95k
    Entry-level openings
    115

    Hiring most here: KPMG, New York State, Broadview Credit Union

    Based on 366 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Albany

  12. 12

    White Plains NY

    48 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    31%
    Pay after cost of living
    $121k
    Entry-level openings
    69

    Hiring most here: New York Power Authority, FormativGroup, RWE Clean Energy

    Based on 222 openings.

    Jobs and employers in White Plains

  13. 13

    Hartford CT

    47 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    29%
    Pay after cost of living
    $128k
    Entry-level openings
    100

    Hiring most here: CVS HEALTH, Hartford HealthCare, Eversource Energy

    Based on 350 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Hartford

  14. 14

    Lexington MA

    46 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    23%
    Pay after cost of living
    $161k
    Entry-level openings
    58

    Hiring most here: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab), Takeda Development Center Americas, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

    Based on 255 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lexington

  15. 15

    Rochester NY

    45 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    31%
    Pay after cost of living
    $92k
    Entry-level openings
    161

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund, Rochester Institute of Technology

    Based on 518 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rochester

  16. 16

    Quincy MA

    43 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    22%
    Pay after cost of living
    $157k
    Entry-level openings
    58

    Hiring most here: State Street, Anduril Industries, Anduril

    Based on 258 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Quincy

  17. 17

    Newark NJ

    39 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    26%
    Pay after cost of living
    $119k
    Entry-level openings
    110

    Hiring most here: Broadridge Financial Solutions, Amazon, Audible

    Based on 426 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Newark

  18. 18

    Princeton NJ

    37 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    19%
    Pay after cost of living
    $163k
    Entry-level openings
    74

    Hiring most here: Genmab A/S, Otsuka, ZS Associates

    Based on 396 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Princeton

  19. 19

    Jersey City NJ

    34 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    22%
    Pay after cost of living
    $144k
    Entry-level openings
    133

    Hiring most here: DTCC, Verisk Analytics, JPMorgan Chase

    Based on 618 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Jersey City

Full ranking

All 19 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1New York NY66 / 10020,589
2Pittsburgh PA63 / 1001,514
3Syracuse NY60 / 100400
4Brooklyn NY57 / 100680
5Philadelphia PA56 / 1001,820
6Buffalo NY54 / 100416
7Waltham MA54 / 100583
8Boston MA54 / 1005,143
9Somerville MA51 / 100295
10Cambridge MA48 / 1001,141
11Albany NY48 / 100366
12White Plains NY48 / 100222
13Hartford CT47 / 100350
14Lexington MA46 / 100255
15Rochester NY45 / 100518
16Quincy MA43 / 100258
17Newark NJ39 / 100426
18Princeton NJ37 / 100396
19Jersey City NJ34 / 100618

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 the northeast?
New York is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Northeast, with a score of 66 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
19 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 19 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 in the Northeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-northeast

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

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

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