These cities are where the jobs are for new graduates, study suggests
Birmingham skyline in Alabama. (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Recent college graduates are facing a tougher job market, with many finding opportunity in a handful of metro areas that stand out for hiring, wages and affordability, according to a new ADP study.
A new ADP study used anonymized data to rank the 53 largest U.S. metro areas based on hiring, wages and affordability for college-educated workers in their 20s.
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The analysis found that Birmingham, Alabama, and Tampa, Florida, topped the list of destinations for recent graduates entering the workforce. Birmingham ranked in the 85th percentile or higher across all three categories, while Tampa’s strong showing was driven by its top ranking in hiring despite more modest scores for pay and affordability.
San Jose, California, and Columbus, Ohio, followed in the rankings.
Four additional Southern cities — Raleigh, North Carolina; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina — also landed in the top 10. San Francisco and New York rounded out the list, ranking seventh and tenth, respectively.
According to a Wall Street Journal report on the findings, the data points to an uneven recovery in hiring for college graduates across the country.
The Journal noted that both Columbus and San Jose climbed in the rankings this year despite weaker performance in some areas. San Jose, for example, ranked in just the 12th percentile for affordability, while Columbus placed in the 50th percentile for earnings.
Meanwhile, several major metro areas slipped in the rankings. Milwaukee, Baltimore and Austin — all in last year’s top five — fell behind their peers this year. Austin dropped from the 94th percentile to the 77th, while Baltimore declined from the 96th to the 75th.
Some of the biggest gains came from cities now in the top 10. Tampa surged from the 54th percentile to the 98th, San Jose rose from the 76th to the 96th, and Tulsa climbed from the 50th to the 90th.
Fresno, California, also posted a notable increase, jumping from the 22nd percentile last year to the 79th, though it remained outside the top 10.
The Source: FOX Business contributed to this report. The information in the story is based primarily on a new study by ADP, which analyzed anonymized data across the 53 largest U.S. metro areas. This story was reported from Los Angeles.