By Venessa Wong
A new ranking highlights places with more opportunities for college grads.
&#34;For grads whose local market doesn't match their field: be willing to go where the opportunity is. That might mean relocating, at least early in your career,&#34; said Sneha Puri, economist at Indeed.
New college grads are starting their adult lives in a challenging environment. They have higher rates of unemployment than the average for all workers (which was not always the case), the housing markets for renters and buyers alike are extremely unaffordable, and young adults are reporting particularly steep increases in depression.
There may, however, be a silver lining for those who know where to look. A new report by job site Glassdoor and housing site Redfin ranks Washington, D.C., as the top big city for new college grads this year, followed by Omaha, Neb., and Boston. Researchers evaluated job openings and pay for entry-level workers, rent and mortgage payments, and quality of life. Many highly-ranked cities still exceeded recommended spending ceilings (30% of income) for housing.
Glassdoor and Redfin's report, which broke out metro areas by population size, ranked New Orleans, Palm Bay, Fla., and Wichita, Kan., as the top midsize metro areas for new grads.
Springfield, Ill., Santa Fe, N.M., and Panama City, Fla., were the top small metros.
While this is good news for students graduating from schools in these areas or whose families may live close by, &#34;my hope with this list is that new grads who are starting out their careers consider some metros that maybe they weren't considering before,&#34; Chris Martin, senior economist at Glassdoor, told MarketWatch. Some of these metro areas may not have been on their radar, but &#34;maybe [people] will take a look at some jobs in D.C., or Omaha or Boston ... It may be that the right job appears, and this is a wonderful city to live in in your 20s.&#34;
Related: Why nearly 7 in 10 new college grads are looking for jobs close to family
New York City, the country's largest job market, had the highest scores for quality of life, but middling results for early career opportunities - and low housing affordability, Martin said.
The results for Los Angeles, the second-largest U.S. city, were similarly held down by modest job opportunities for new graduates; L.A. came in last for housing affordability.
&#34;Your first job doesn't need to be perfect - it just needs to move you forward.&#34;Sneha Puri, economist at Indeed
&#34;For grads whose local market doesn't match their field: be willing to go where the opportunity is. That might mean relocating, at least early in your career,&#34; Sneha Puri, economist at Indeed, told MarketWatch.
&#34;A digital-marketing or data-analytics role at a hospital system in a midsize city might not be what you pictured, but it can be a real stepping stone,&#34; she said. &#34;Your first job doesn't need to be perfect - it just needs to move you forward.&#34;
More on MarketWatch: A college grad earning $62K can have $1 million in just 10 years, podcasters say. Experts think it's actually a solid plan.
How recent grads can stand out in a remote job search
Applying for jobs in an unfamiliar city where they may not have friends or family may be daunting for many new grads. Experts shared tips for applying for jobs in new cities.
Map out your network
Applying to a job cold is fine, but it's better if you know someone in the companies where you're applying who can give you context to make your application shine, or someone in the cities where you are searching to understand what life there might look like for someone earning an entry-level income.
You might not be able to think of anyone off the top of your head, but &#34;You are literally in a higher ed institution, which has a lot of different contacts,&#34; said Mary Gatta, NACE's Director of Research and Public Policy. &#34;I think students need to think about their network broadly in that way: their faculty, their career center, and, if they're in clubs, the adviser to the clubs and the other club members.&#34;
Referrals and connections &#34;remain one of the most reliable paths to getting your foot in the door. Reach out to people in the field and city you want to work in,&#34; Puri said. &#34;Alumni networks, industry meetups and even cold outreach to professionals in your target field can open doors.&#34;
Tailor your applications to highlight relevant skills
While Glassdoor and Redfin highlighted some of the better job markets for new grads, it has overall gotten tougher for them in recent years. The unemployment rate for this group stands at 5.6%, compared with 4.2% for all workers as of late 2025.
&#34;In a market where the number of applicants per job is up, a boilerplate resume sent to 50 jobs isn't going to cut it,&#34; Puri said. &#34;Take the time to tailor your resume and cover letter to each role and company. AI tools can help here. Using them to evaluate your resume against a specific job description is a smart way to identify gaps before you hit submit.&#34;
Focusing on capabilities you have that &#34;AI can't easily replace&#34; - like communication, teamwork, creative thinking and problem-solving - can also be beneficial, she added.
As 70% of employers said they use skills-based hiring - which is now more important than grades for many managers - students &#34;need to be able to not just say they have skills, but provide examples,&#34; Gatta said. &#34;Translate what they're doing in their classrooms, in cocurricular activities, into a skills-based language&#34; if they don't have much work experience.
Students with the advantage of having held internships or any jobs should highlight the relevant skills gained from those experiences, she noted.
Read more: Teens from upper-income families are far more likely to work summer jobs than poor teens. What's going on?
Cast a wider net
Think about how your skills can be applied across industries, and see which metro areas might be home to industries that are in need of people with these skills. &#34;If you have a software-engineering degree, rather than focusing only on traditional developer roles, you could consider growth areas like artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, cybersecurity and cloud computing. Many skills apply across industries,&#34; Puri said. &#34;For example, traditionally tech roles are also emerging at nontech companies that are using technology in new and innovative ways, from healthcare systems to financial services.&#34;
What personal-finance issues would you like to see covered in MarketWatch? We would like to hear from readers about their financial decisions and money-related questions. You can write to us at readerstories@marketwatch.com. A reporter may be in touch to learn more. MarketWatch will not attribute your answers to you by name without your permission.
-Venessa Wong
This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones &amp; Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
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A new report by Glassdoor and Redfin identifies the best cities for new college graduates seeking jobs and affordable housing. Washington, D.C. tops the list, followed by Omaha and Boston. The report highlights the challenges graduates face, including high unemployment rates and housing unaffordability. Experts encourage graduates to consider relocating to cities with better opportunities, even if they are not initially appealing. Networking and tailoring job applications are crucial for success in unfamiliar markets. Despite the tough job market, there are still promising prospects for new grads in selected metro areas.

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The under-the-radar cities where new college grads can get a good job - and even afford to buy a house