It can be tough starting your professional life as a college grad when you have so many things to consider. You may be juggling finding a job with figuring out how much money you can save or where you can meet new people and build a community.
Housing can also be tough, especially if you don’t have savings built up or you’re moving to a high cost-of-living market.
But there are still certain cities that could be great options for recent college graduates starting out somewhere near. Here are the top cities you should be considering if you’ve just finished school, ranked, according to Zillow.
| Rank | City | Zillow Observed Rent Index | Estimated Grad Income | Share of Listings With a Concession |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin, Texas | $1,604 | $74,800 | 63.8% |
| 2 | Denver, Colorado | $1,887 | $81,100 | 68.3% |
| 3 | Portland, Oregon | $1,789 | $80,700 | 49.0% |
| 4 | Seattle, Washington | $2,208 | $93,900 | 54.2% |
| 5 | Charlotte, North Carolina | $1,733 | $71,700 | 66.6% |
| 6 | Dallas, Texas | $1,660 | $72,500 | 64.2% |
| 7 | Washington, DC | $2,375 | $83,900 | 57.9% |
| 8 | Dayton, Ohio | $1,331 | $72,400 | 26.9% |
| 9 | San Antonio, Texas | $1,398 | $66,300 | 55.6% |
| 10 | Phoenix, Arizona | $1,741 | $69,800 | 59.9% |
Austin Tops the List
Austin leads major markets as the best place for new grads to start their professional lives. Zillow took into account three major factors: the cost of rent, graduate income, and rental concessions that could give recent grads the ability to negotiate their rent price or additional perks. While Austin doesn’t lead in any of these data points, its overall score put it on the top of the list for grads. The city also gets a boost from its young population and robust job market…