That first job out of college can really make or break your professional and adult life. Pick a city that doesn’t have many entry-level roles, and you might be miserably job hunting for months. Find a position in a city with a high cost of living, and your fun new paycheck might not feel so fun after most of it goes toward rent.
But there’s some good news for the newest batch of Arizona State University graduates: If they want to stay in the Valley for their first job, it might not be a bad idea.
Eight cities in the Valley were ranked among financial site WalletHub’s 2026 list of Best and Worst Places to Start a Career. Scottsdale ranked first in the state, with Tempe close behind it. Phoenix came in third. (Not in the Valley but still in-state, Tucson ranked 101st out of 183 cities nationally, or eighth out of nine Arizona locales.)…