STAFF REPORT
College graduates are flooding the market right now, and it seems that local grads are in one of the best places in the U.S. to start their careers.
According to WalletHub, an online organization that looks at issues relating to business, Austin ranks third in the nation of the top 150 cities to start a career. Houston is not far behind, placing ninth in the nation.
Austin ranks ninth in the Professional Opportunities rank and seventh in Quality of Life rank.
For the Class of 2016, the job market is looking up, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Hiring in general is on the rise, as employers report that they plan to hire a recent college grad.
Looking at Texas cities, it is worth noting that Houston has the highest monthly median starting salary (adjusted for cost of living), $3,705. That figure is nearly three times higher than in Honolulu, the city with the lowest, $1,332, also adjusted for cost of living.
Austin, of course, has the lowest unemployment rate, 2.8 percent, of all the 150 cities ranked in the study. Austin’s rate is four times lower than in Fresno, California, the city with the highest unemployment rate, 11.4 percent.
Hays County’s rate is close behind, coming in at 3.2 percent, as of March 2016, according to the Federal Reserve Bank economic research center. Job growth is reported at 2.82 percent, with the future job growth over the next ten years predicted at 42 percent.
Other Texas cities coming the top 150 for best places to start a career:
Amarillo, 8th; Houston, 9th; Corpus Christi, 10th; Irving, 12th; Dallas, 17th; Plano, 20th; Fort Worth 21st; Grand Prairie, 24th; San Antonio, 26th; Lubbock, 34th; El Paso, 41st; Arlington, 50th; Laredo,51st; Garland, 70th; Brownsville, 101st.
Top city in the nation is Salt Lake City, which came in first in Professional Opportunities ranking and 10th in Quality of Life.
Of all the 150 cities ranked, Detroit, Michigan came in last.
