Published May 7, 2026 6:00am EDT
Southern cities dominate rankings of best job markets for new college graduates
ADP study compared 53 largest metro areas on hiring, wages and affordability amid a slowing labor market for young workers
By Eric Revell FOXBusiness
The slowing labor market is posing a challenge to recent college graduates looking to begin their careers, with many new graduates finding work in Southern cities.
A study by ADP using anonymized data to compare the 53 largest metro areas in the U.S. based on hiring, wages and affordability for workers in their 20s with college degrees.
It found that Birmingham, Alabama, and Tampa, Florida, were at the top of the list of destinations for fresh graduates embarking on careers. Birmingham was in the 85th or higher percentile in wages, affordability and hiring, while Tampa was buoyed by topping the rankings in hiring despite middling scores for wages and affordability.
Those cities were followed by San Jose, California, and Columbus, Ohio, in the rankings.
Four other cities in the top 10 were also located in the South, including Raleigh, North Carolina; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Two large metro areas rounded out the top 10, with San Francisco and New York City ranking seventh and tenth, respectively.
A report by The Wall Street Journal about the ADP study's findings noted that the analysis suggests an emerging recovery in hiring for college graduates is playing out unevenly around the country.
The Journal noted that both Columbus and San Jose unexpectedly rose in the rankings this year despite some components of their overall ranking being less consistent, as San Jose ranked in the 12th percentile of metro areas in terms of affordability and Columbus was in the 50th percentile for earnings.
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https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/southern-cities-dominate-rankings-best-job-markets-new-college-graduates
