Raleigh Named Best City for College Graduates to Start Careers

A new 2025 survey done through ADP listed Raleigh, North Carolina the number one city for college graduates to find job opportunities.

The survey analyzed payroll data for nearly 140,000 Americans between the ages of 20 to 29, working at over 27,000 companies across the country.

For the second year in a row, Raleigh ranked No. 1 in the survey for its job opportunities, affordable cost of living and strong hiring in the area. Raleigh also held a high ranking for the cities hiring rate along with annual wages.

Here are the top 10 metropolitan cities listed as the best in the ADP Survey:

1. Raleigh, NC
2. Milwaukee, WI
3. Baltimore, MD
4. Austin, TX
5. Birmingham, AL
6. Denver, CO
7. Nashville, TN
8. Phoenix, AZ
9. Orlando, FL
10. New York, NY