On Monday, WalletHub released its list of the best and worst places to start a career in 2024.
The ranking examines factors like job-market saturation, housing affordability and commuter friendliness to determine which areas topped others.
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Sitting in the No. 1 spot is Atlanta, with an overall score of 65.84. That city also ranked highest for professional opportunities, though it placed No. 7 when it came to quality of life.
But just behind that was Orlando at No. 2 — also scoring the No. 2 slot for professional opportunities.
Orlando, FL, is the second-best city for starting a career, boasting one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. In addition, it has the second-highest number of entry-level job openings per capita, along with lots of openings at companies rated 4 or 5 stars.
People who get a job in Orlando have the potential to experience a lot of income growth, too, as the median household income grows by around 8.2% annually – one of the highest rates in the country. In addition, people in Orlando have higher job satisfaction than people in most other cities.
To top things off, Orlando ranks second among the most fun cities in America, so there’s plenty to do when off the clock.
WalletHub, "Best & Worst Places to Start a Career (2024)"
The City Beautiful wasn’t alone, though; Tampa (No. 4) and Miami (No 9) both managed to crack the top 10, too.
Orlando also tied with several other cities as the top area for entry-level jobs, having around 24 times as many as New York City.
The top 20 places on the list are as follows:
| Overall Rank | City | Total Score | Professional Opportunities Rank | Quality of Life Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta, GA | 65.84 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Orlando, FL | 65.02 | 2 | 8 |
| 3 | Salt Lake City, UT | 62.38 | 8 | 6 |
| 4 | Tampa, FL | 61.27 | 7 | 21 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh, PA | 61.23 | 9 | 11 |
| 6 | Portland, ME | 60.36 | 11 | 10 |
| 7 | Charleston, SC | 59.75 | 12 | 15 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | 58.89 | 40 | 1 |
| 9 | Miami, FL | 58.89 | 4 | 85 |
| 10 | Knoxville, TN | 58.20 | 6 | 65 |
| 11 | Minneapolis, MN | 57.60 | 37 | 3 |
| 12 | Tempe, AZ | 57.33 | 39 | 5 |
| 13 | Seattle, WA | 57.20 | 52 | 2 |
| 14 | Wilmington, DE | 57.10 | 5 | 86 |
| 15 | St. Louis, MO | 56.70 | 10 | 46 |
| 16 | Columbia, SC | 56.41 | 13 | 42 |
| 17 | Richmond, VA | 56.33 | 17 | 35 |
| 18 | Boise, ID | 56.12 | 26 | 18 |
| 19 | Grand Rapids, MI | 55.97 | 19 | 32 |
| 20 | Charleston, WV | 55.91 | 3 | 123 |
Meanwhile, Florida also took a couple of spots at the bottom of the list, as well.
While New York City (No. 182) ranked the lowest, Pembroke Pines came close behind at No. 180. Slightly above that were Cape Coral (No. 177) and Hialeah (No. 166).
The bottom 20 places on the list are as follows:
| Overall Rank | City | Total Score | Professional Opportunities Rank | Quality of Life Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 182 | New York, NY | 33.14 | 182 | 171 |
| 181 | Bridgeport, CT | 34.29 | 179 | 181 |
| 180 | Pembroke Pines, FL | 34.92 | 180 | 172 |
| 179 | Santa Clarita, CA | 35.21 | 178 | 174 |
| 178 | Yonkers, NY | 36.04 | 176 | 167 |
| 177 | Cape Coral, FL | 36.34 | 181 | 137 |
| 176 | Newark, NJ | 36.54 | 162 | 180 |
| 175 | Detroit, MI | 36.66 | 169 | 178 |
| 174 | Jackson, MS | 36.79 | 164 | 175 |
| 173 | Oxnard, CA | 37.08 | 159 | 177 |
| 172 | Chula Vista, CA | 37.15 | 170 | 166 |
| 171 | Long Beach, CA | 37.26 | 174 | 158 |
| 170 | Brownsville, TX | 37.59 | 166 | 163 |
| 169 | Glendale, CA | 37.78 | 175 | 132 |
| 168 | Gulfport, MS | 37.92 | 172 | 143 |
| 167 | Anaheim, CA | 37.95 | 171 | 149 |
| 166 | Hialeah, FL | 38.16 | 112 | 182 |
| 165 | Pearl City, HI | 38.33 | 168 | 145 |
| 164 | Moreno Valley, CA | 38.84 | 145 | 173 |
| 163 | Santa Rosa, CA | 38.94 | 151 | 161 |
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