{"id":1092,"date":"2026-05-12T12:31:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1092"},"modified":"2026-05-12T12:31:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:31:16","slug":"these-cities-rank-as-the-best-places-to-start-a-career-in-2026-according-to-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1092","title":{"rendered":"These cities rank as the best places to start a career in 2026, according to data"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><div><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1091\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/c1c1dd5d93c7bac2e01dc573c857c989.webp\" width=\"764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/c1c1dd5d93c7bac2e01dc573c857c989.webp 764w, https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/c1c1dd5d93c7bac2e01dc573c857c989-300x170.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px\" \/><\/figure>\n <span>article<\/span><\/div> <div><div><p><span>FILE-A sign is shown at a job fair at the in Buffalo, New York on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (Lauren Petracca\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/span> <!-- --><\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1089\">Chase Matthew\u2019s bassist charged with child sex crimes following music festival<\/a><\/p> <!-- --><\/div><\/div> <!-- --><\/div> <!-- --> <!-- --><p>The job market is highly competitive as the pool of candidates seeking positions continues to expand.\u00a0<\/p> <p>And one of the larger groups of job seekers submitting their resumes to employers are recent college graduates, who are eager to put their degrees to use and establish their careers.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><p><strong>RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong><strong><u>Here are the top cities to find a job in 2026, data says<\/u><\/strong><\/p> <!-- --><div><\/div> <!-- --><p>Many factors play a role in finding a job, like the market conditions and housing affordability. To delve further into the best and worst places to start a career\u00a0<u>WalletHub assessed 182 cities<\/u> based on key traits like the availability of entry-level jobs and the average monthly starting salary.<\/p> <!-- --><h2>Best cities to start a career<\/h2> <!-- --><div> <iframe allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-v-57eb5ac0=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/b6d1e55d-aee7-42f5-9dcc-642d3f3aed1a?src=embed\" title=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe> <!-- --><\/div> <!-- --><h2>Top cities to start a career in 2026<\/h2> <!-- --><p>Local perspective:<\/p> <!-- --><p>WalletHub ranked 182 cities in the U.S. using two key categories: professional opportunities and quality of life and both were measured using 25 key metrics.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><p>Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a perfect score representing the best conditions for young professionals entering the job market. Here\u2019s WalletHub\u2019s ranking of the top cities.<\/p> <!-- --><ol><li><span>Atlanta<\/span><\/li><li><span>Orlando<\/span><\/li><li><span>Austin, Texas<\/span><\/li><li><span>Tampa<\/span><\/li><li><span>Miami<\/span><\/li><li><span>Charleston, South Carolina<\/span><\/li><li><span>Pittsburgh<\/span><\/li><li><span>Knoxville, Tennessee<\/span><\/li><li><span>Salt Lake City, Utah<\/span><\/li><li><span>Columbia, South Carolina<\/span><\/li><li><span>South Burlington, Vermont<\/span><\/li><li><span>Dallas<\/span><\/li><li><span>Richmond, Virginia<\/span><\/li><li><span>St. Louis<\/span><\/li><li><span>Wilmington, Delaware<\/span><\/li><li><span>Grand Rapids, Michigan<\/span><\/li><li><span>Chattanooga, Tennessee<\/span><\/li><li><span>Raleigh, North Carolina<\/span><\/li><li><span>Las Vegas<\/span><\/li><li><span>Birmingham, Alabama<\/span><\/li><\/ol> <!-- --><h2>Worst cities to start a career in 2026<\/h2> <!-- --><p>Why you should care:<\/p> <!-- --><p>WalletHub ranked these cities as the top places which are not ideal for young job seekers to jump start their careers.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><ol><li><span>New York City<\/span><\/li><li><span>Bridgeport, Connecticut<\/span><\/li><li><span>Detroit<\/span><\/li><li><span>Port St. Lucie, Florida<\/span><\/li><li><span>Chula Vista, California<\/span><\/li><\/ol> <!-- --><p>To see the complete list of the best and worst cities to start a career,\u00a0<u>click here<\/u>.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><h2>An in-depth look at the top three cities to start a career<\/h2> <!-- --><p>Dig deeper:<\/p> <!-- --><p>Atlanta, Orlando, and Austin, Texas were ranked as the\u00a0<u>top cities for young professionals<\/u> to start a career, and here\u2019s an analysis of WalletHub\u2019s data about these areas.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1086\">Deadly crash causing major traffic delays on South Post Oak, Main Street<\/a><\/p> <!-- --><h3>Atlanta<\/h3> <!-- --><p>WalletHub ranked<u> Atlanta as the best city<\/u> to start a career, with job growth at almost 2.1% yearly, which ranks 10th in the U.S. The median annual household income in the area is more than $90,400.<\/p> <!-- --><p>The report also noted that many job opportunities at organizations are rated at least 4 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor, along with numerous entry-level jobs, and people have a high rate of satisfaction with their jobs.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong><strong>Looking to start a business? Here are the best large cities to launch a company<\/strong><\/p> <!-- --><p>Atlanta is also considered a good place not only to establish a career but to start a business, with the city ranking 12th best, and it also ranks fourth among the most fun cities and the top city for singles, giving professionals who move to the area to start their career to find a nice work-life balance.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><h3>Orlando<\/h3> <!-- --><p><u>Orlando is the second-best city<\/u>for starting a career, with the highest levels of entrepreneurial activity among large cities, bolstering job creation and career opportunities. According to WalletHub, the city has the highest number of entry-level job openings per capita, along with many openings at companies with high ratings.<\/p> <!-- --><p>The city also has a high number of young professionals, ranking fifth in the U.S. for the numbers of millennials moving to the city. Meanwhile, the city also ranks second among the most fun cities nationwide, giving professionals plenty of options for activities to get into after work.<\/p> <!-- --><h3>Austin, TX<\/h3> <!-- --><p>According to WalletHub,\u00a0<u>Austin ranks as the third-best city<\/u> to begin a career, in part because the city has the highest monthly average starting salaries, giving young professionals a nice financial boost. The area also has the 15th-highest number of entry-level jobs per capita.<\/p> <!-- --><p>Austin\u2019s median annual household income ranks as the 10th highest in the U.S., and WalletHub added in its report that Austin is also the sixth-best area for singles, offering a nice mix of activities around the city.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1083\">Houston dispensary employee shoots teen, victim in critical condition<\/a><\/p> <!-- --> <!-- --><p><br\/>\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --> <!-- --> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For young professionals searching for a job in a crowded market, finding an opportunity may come down to the zip code you&#8217;re in, which might improve your odds of securing a job based on a recent report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,84,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-lifestyle","category-u-s"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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