It's that time of year again — college students all over the country are graduating, leaving the comfort of their college dorms, and moving onto bigger, and (hopefully) better things. Among these things, the primary concern among graduates tends to be finding a job and moving to the place they'll be calling home — at least for the next few years, as the glory years of college fade away and the exciting but stressful post-graduate adults years begin to set in. But where are the best places for college graduate Millennials to move?
With this question in mind, the American Institute of Economic Research decided to look at migration data for 260 metro areas all over the United States to see where college students were moving after they graduated — and more importantly, why. According to the data, Millennials aren't just drawn to cities with a lot of job opportunities; they also look for additional features that ultimately make the city much more appealing. Some of these features include low unemployment rate, high population of people with a college degree, ease of transportation and the ability to get around without a car, average salary, cost of living and rent, racial and ethnic diversity, and the amenity I'll personally be most interested in when I graduate: The number of bars and restaurants per 1,000 residents.
So how did the cities rank? Here are the top five large cities (where metro areas have at least one million people) where 22 to 35 year olds with bachelors degrees are flocking; head here to see the full list.
5. New York City, New York
It's completely unsurprising that young people would be migrating to New York, seeing as it is the concrete jungle where dreams are made of (at least, according to Alicia Keys and Jay-Z). New York has it all: Ease of transportation with a well-integrated subway system, a world-famous restaurant and bar scene, and a tremendous amount of cultural experiences. There seems to be something for everyone in New York.
4. San Jose, California
According to Business Insider, the paychecks in San Jose average out to about $80,000 for someone with a bachelor's degree. San Jose is also home to eBay, IBM, and Adobe, companies which employ 10,000 people in the city alone. It's also a very environmentally-friendly and green-friendly city; in fact, it's illegal for grocery stores in San Jose to use plastic bags.
3. Boston, Massachusetts
Like New York, Boston has a excellent subway and commuter rail system, making this city extremely desirable to young people who don't want to drive. It's also home to some top universities, including Harvard, MIT, Wellesley, and Tufts, giving it a population full of some of the most intelligent minds around. The tech and start-up scene is booming in Boston, so it's definitely the place to be for young, innovative minds.
2. San Francisco, California
Though San Francisco is a notoriously expensive place to live, the average Millennial with a bachelor's degree earns around $72,000 and has access to some of the countries best food and brightest minds — not to mention (in my opinion) the perfect weather year-round.
1. Washington, DC
Coming in at number one, Washington, DC ranks most desirable city for Millennials due to the amount that move there post graduation. With the abundance of jobs and abundance of culture, there's no better place to be.
Check out the top ten list here.
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