{"h1":"Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Southeast","faq":[{"a":"Manassas is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Southeast, with a score of 67 / 100.","q":"Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for new graduates in the southeast?"},{"a":"29 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 29 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":"Manassas is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Southeast, with a score of 67 / 100.","minN":100,"rows":[{"n":231,"bar":1,"key":"VA|manassas","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/manassas","name":"Manassas","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"38%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$136k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"88"}],"value":67.32142857142858,"change":null,"employers":["General Dynamics Mission Systems","Electra.Aero","Holder Construction"],"valueLabel":"67 / 100"},{"n":584,"bar":0.9363395225464188,"key":"VA|alexandria","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/alexandria","name":"Alexandria","rank":2,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"34%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$139k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"199"}],"value":63.03571428571428,"change":null,"employers":["Kearney","Patent and Trademark Office","Analytic Services (ANSER)"],"valueLabel":"63 / 100"},{"n":2064,"bar":0.9230769230769229,"key":"KY|louisville","sub":"KY","href":"/places/kentucky/city/louisville","name":"Louisville","rank":3,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"34%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$115k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"710"}],"value":62.14285714285715,"change":null,"employers":["BrightSpring Health Services","Norton Healthcare","GE Appliances"],"valueLabel":"62 / 100"},{"n":1989,"bar":0.9230769230769229,"key":"VA|arlington","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/arlington","name":"Arlington","rank":4,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"28%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$143k"},{"label":"Entry-level 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Technologies","Florida"],"valueLabel":"61 / 100"},{"n":332,"bar":0.8885941644562333,"key":"VA|norfolk","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/norfolk","name":"Norfolk","rank":7,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"40%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$103k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"133"}],"value":59.82142857142858,"change":null,"employers":["Commonwealth of Virginia","Seacorp","United States Fleet Forces Command"],"valueLabel":"60 / 100"},{"n":163,"bar":0.8779840848806365,"key":"VA|vienna","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/vienna","name":"Vienna","rank":8,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"35%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$131k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"57"}],"value":59.10714285714286,"change":null,"employers":["Esri","Navy Federal Credit Union","Antithesis"],"valueLabel":"59 / 100"},{"n":234,"bar":0.8779840848806364,"key":"VA|mc lean","sub":"VA","href":null,"name":"Mc Lean","rank":9,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"31%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$161k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"72"}],"value":59.10714285714285,"change":null,"employers":["Capital One","Booz Allen Hamilton","Sunrise Senior Living"],"valueLabel":"59 / 100"},{"n":1136,"bar":0.8647214854111405,"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":58.21428571428572,"change":null,"employers":["Mckesson","Capital One","Genworth Financial"],"valueLabel":"58 / 100"},{"n":3198,"bar":0.8488063660477453,"key":"NC|charlotte","sub":"NC","href":"/places/north-carolina/city/charlotte","name":"Charlotte","rank":11,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of 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100"},{"n":344,"bar":0.7214854111405835,"key":"FL|boca raton","sub":"FL","href":"/places/florida/city/boca-raton","name":"Boca Raton","rank":16,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"38%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$92k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"132"}],"value":48.57142857142858,"change":null,"employers":["Compass","Baptist Health South Florida","SBA Communications"],"valueLabel":"49 / 100"},{"n":572,"bar":0.7015915119363394,"key":"FL|fort lauderdale","sub":"FL","href":"/places/florida/city/fort-lauderdale","name":"Fort Lauderdale","rank":17,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"35%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$97k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"203"}],"value":47.23214285714285,"change":null,"employers":["North Broward Hospital District (Broward Health)","Autonation","Town & Country Credit Union"],"valueLabel":"47 / 100"},{"n":1650,"bar":0.6684350132625994,"key":"TN|nashville","sub":"TN","href":null,"name":"Nashville","rank":18,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"27%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$138k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"447"}],"value":45,"change":null,"employers":["Oracle","Amazon","Vanderbilt University"],"valueLabel":"45 / 100"},{"n":1071,"bar":0.6564986737400529,"key":"FL|jacksonville","sub":"FL","href":"/places/florida/city/jacksonville","name":"Jacksonville","rank":19,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"35%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$97k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"376"}],"value":44.19642857142857,"change":null,"employers":["Confidential","Intercontinental Exchange","UF Health"],"valueLabel":"44 / 100"},{"n":576,"bar":0.6551724137931033,"key":"GA|alpharetta","sub":"GA","href":"/places/georgia/city/alpharetta","name":"Alpharetta","rank":20,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"29%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$130k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"168"}],"value":44.10714285714285,"change":null,"employers":["Morgan Stanley","Fiserv","Landis+Gyr"],"valueLabel":"44 / 100"},{"n":2344,"bar":0.649867374005305,"key":"FL|miami","sub":"FL","href":"/places/florida/city/miami","name":"Miami","rank":21,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"29%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$117k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"682"}],"value":43.75000000000001,"change":null,"employers":["University Of Miami","Royal Caribbean Cruises","Princess Cruises / Holland America Line"],"valueLabel":"44 / 100"},{"n":783,"bar":0.623342175066313,"key":"VA|reston","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/reston","name":"Reston","rank":22,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"21%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$157k"},{"label":"Entry-level 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100"},{"n":153,"bar":0.5994694960212201,"key":"KY|frankfort","sub":"KY","href":"/places/kentucky/city/frankfort","name":"Frankfort","rank":25,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"26%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$139k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"40"}],"value":40.35714285714286,"change":null,"employers":["Lumen","Oracle","Sazerac"],"valueLabel":"40 / 100"},{"n":1154,"bar":0.59946949602122,"key":"AL|huntsville","sub":"AL","href":"/places/alabama/city/huntsville","name":"Huntsville","rank":26,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"25%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$154k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"294"}],"value":40.35714285714285,"change":null,"employers":["L3HARRIS Technologies","Northrop Grumman","Blue Origin"],"valueLabel":"40 / 100"},{"n":1272,"bar":0.5809018567639256,"key":"FL|orlando","sub":"FL","href":"/places/florida/city/orlando","name":"Orlando","rank":27,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"31%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$100k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"398"}],"value":39.10714285714285,"change":null,"employers":["Lockheed Martin","Lockheed Martin Services","Sikorsky Aircraft"],"valueLabel":"39 / 100"},{"n":190,"bar":0.4403183023872679,"key":"VA|tysons","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/tysons","name":"Tysons","rank":28,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"26%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$125k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"49"}],"value":29.64285714285715,"change":null,"employers":["M.C. Dean","Alarm.com Holdings","LMI"],"valueLabel":"30 / 100"},{"n":274,"bar":0.3342175066312997,"key":"VA|springfield","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/springfield","name":"Springfield","rank":29,"stats":[{"label":"Entry-level share of openings","value":"20%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$130k"},{"label":"Entry-level openings","value":"54"}],"value":22.5,"change":null,"employers":["CACI International","Caci Technologies","HII Mission Technologies"],"valueLabel":"23 / 100"}],"slug":"best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-southeast","unit":"openings","scope":{"id":"southeast","kind":"region","name":"Southeast"},"title":"Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Southeast","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 Manassas, VA: 67 / 100","#2 Alexandria, VA: 63 / 100","#3 Louisville, KY: 62 / 100","29 cities ranked in the Southeast","Data as of November 2026"],"placeNoun":"cities","commentary":["The top ten is tightly packed: Manassas leads on 67 / 100, and #10 Richmond is at 58 / 100.","Vienna reaches #8 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.","Louisville is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,064 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-southeast"}