With graduation season upon us, many young people are considering not only where they might find a job, but what might be the best place for them to start a career and build a life.
To determine the best and worst cities in which to embark on one's professional future, personal finance site WalletHub evaluated the 150 most populous cities in America across 19 metrics designed to factor in the major professional and personal considerations facing young people beginning post-collegiate life.
In terms of professional opportunities, WalletHub considered the number of entry-level jobs in a city per 10,000 residents, monthly median starting salary, annual job growth rate, unemployment rate and entrepreneurial activity. To evaluate quality of life, factors including median annual income, arts- and leisure-focused locations per 100,000 residents, housing costs and percentage of the population with a bachelor's degree were taken into account.
The cities listed here are considered on their own and without the surrounding metro areas.
At the top of a list dominated by Lone Star State locales is Irving, Texas. The city has a population nearing a quarter million people and scored first place for professional considerations and a respectable 38th (out of 150) for quality of life considerations.
Five of the year's 10 best cities for starting a career are found in Texas.
Grand Prairie, Texas and Austin, Texas round out the top three. Though Grand Prairie comes in 49th for quality of life considerations, it takes second place for professional opportunities and offers the fourth highest starting salaries (tied with Garland, Texas) of all the cities on this list, adjusted for cost of living.
In pictures: The 10 Best And Worst Cities For Starting A Career
Denver, Colorado, comes in fourth while number five, Houston, Texas, offers the highest starting salaries of any city on this list, adjusted for cost of living.
At the other end of the spectrum, despite its recent renaissance, Detroit, Michigan, earns the title of the worst place to start a career, though it's actually Fresno, California--considered the second worst--that provides the least professional opportunities.
While Fresno offers the second least entry-level jobs per 10,000 residents of all the cities on this list, the city's score was buoyed by slightly higher marks in quality of life, while Detroit's was further constricted by a 12.5% unemployment rate (well over twice the national level).
Toledo, Ohio, rounds out the bottom three.
In pictures: The 10 Best And Worst Cities For Starting A Career
To view WalletHub's full ranking of 150 cities, click here.
Correction: The gallery attached to this post has been updated to reflect that Columbus, Georgia, ranks 147th on WalletHub's list, not Columbus, Ohio.
