As AI is rewriting the playbook for early-career roles and the unemployment rate remains elevated among recent graduates, Scottsdale finishes as the sixth-best mid-sized U.S. city for 2026 grads to launch a career, vaulting three spots since last year in CoworkingCafe’s annual study on the top cities for grads. In Arizona, Scottsdale ranks as the best city to start a career (No. 6 nationally), ahead of Chandler (No. 26) and Gilbert (No. 41).
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Methodology: CoworkingCafe analyzed the factors that help the grads of ‘26 navigate their first steps into the professional world, from employment opportunities and day-to-day costs to lifestyle offerings. You can find the data sources we used in the study’s methodology section.
Here are the key findings that make Scottsdale one of the best mid-sized U.S. cities for college graduates:
- Scottsdale has the 2nd lowest youth unemployment rate for ages 20-29 in the bracket, at just 2% — down roughly three percentage points from a year ago.
- The city posts the 6th highest share of young adults (18-34) holding a bachelor’s degree, at 59%.
- The financials are strong, with the 11th highest median graduate income (about $91,200) and the 12th largest health coverage for young adults (73%).
- Lifestyle is solid too, with the 14th highest density of leisure establishments (495 per 100,000 residents) and the 8th highest coworking density (14 spaces per 100,000 residents).
Nationwide, while traditional magnets like San Francisco and Washington, D.C. remain prominent, this year’s data reveals a clear shift: mid-sized and smaller cities, from Scottsdale, AZ, to Peoria, IL, are climbing the ranks thanks to falling unemployment, rising incomes, and growing lifestyle infrastructure…