Salt Lake City took the top spot.Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
All your friends may be headed to New York, Silicon Valley, or DC after graduation.
But that doesn't mean they're the best places to start a career.
According to personal-finance site WalletHub, recent grads should consider a few other spots before they decide where to move after college.
WalletHub recently analyzed and ranked the 150 most populous US cities based on professional opportunities and quality of life to determine the best places to start a career.
Metrics included the number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents, housing affordability, annual job-growth rate, projected population growth, unemployment rate, and percentage of the population with similar education level and age.
To read more about the study's methodology, check out the full report here.
20. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Overall professional opportunities rank: 24
Overall quality of life rank: 32
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,903
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 3,057
Housing affordability rank: 59
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 15.5%
19. Tampa, Florida
Overall professional opportunities rank: 20
Overall quality of life rank: 35
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $3,179
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 3,487
Housing affordability rank: 95
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 16.1%
18. Scottsdale, Arizona
Overall professional opportunities rank: 48
Overall quality of life rank: 5
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,977
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 2,501
Housing affordability rank: 101
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 12.5%
17. Knoxville, Tennessee
Overall professional opportunities rank: 18
Overall quality of life rank: 34
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $3,103
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 3,064
Housing affordability rank: 42
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 16.1%
16. Raleigh, North Carolina
Overall professional opportunities rank: 35
Overall quality of life rank: 11
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $3,240
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 2,064
Housing affordability rank: 40
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 18.3%
15. Durham, North Carolina
Overall professional opportunities rank: 22
Overall quality of life rank: 27
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $3,910
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 1,784
Housing affordability rank: 35
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 19.2%
14. San Francisco, California
Overall professional opportunities rank: 11
Overall quality of life rank: 44
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,586
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 1,783
Housing affordability rank: 150
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 22.3%
13. Boston, Massachusetts
Overall professional opportunities rank: 13
Overall quality of life rank: 37
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,700
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 2,090
Housing affordability rank: 144
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 22.8%
12. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Overall professional opportunities rank: 28
Overall quality of life rank: 13
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,521
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 2,013
Housing affordability rank: 11
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 16.9%
11. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Overall professional opportunities rank: 32
Overall quality of life rank: 7
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,992
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 2,247
Housing affordability rank: 65
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 21.9%
10. Madison, Wisconsin
Overall professional opportunities rank: 44
Overall quality of life rank: 2
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,629
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 2,458
Housing affordability rank: 39
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 19.1%
9. Irving, Texas
Overall professional opportunities rank: 4
Overall quality of life rank: 64
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $3,289
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 1,727
Housing affordability rank: 77
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 19.9%
8. Denver, Colorado
Overall professional opportunities rank: 12
Overall quality of life rank: 14
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,948
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 3,162
Housing affordability rank: 120
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 21.8%
7. Miami, Florida
Overall professional opportunities rank: 2
Overall quality of life rank: 84
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,661
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents:3,360
Housing affordability rank: 143
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 24.4%
6. Atlanta, Georgia
Overall professional opportunities rank: 8
Overall quality of life rank: 10
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $3,128
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 3,710
Housing affordability rank: 94
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 20.0%
5. Tempe, Arizona
Overall professional opportunities rank: 19
Overall quality of life rank: 3
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,977
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 2,458
Housing affordability rank: 80
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 19.2%
4. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Overall professional opportunities rank: 3
Overall quality of life rank: 19
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,751
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 3,316
Housing affordability rank: 12
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 18.4%
3. Austin, Texas
Overall professional opportunities rank: 6
Overall quality of life rank: 6
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $3,353
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 2,058
Housing affordability rank: 92
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 21.8%
2. Orlando, Florida
Overall professional opportunities rank: 5
Overall quality of life rank: 4
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,796
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 6,083
Housing affordability rank: 100
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 20.3%
1. Salt Lake City, Utah
Overall professional opportunities rank: 1
Overall quality of life rank: 1
Monthly median starting salary (adjusted for the cost of living): $2,921
Number of entry-level jobs per 100,000 residents: 4,263
Housing affordability rank: 89
Percentage of the population aged 25 to 34: 21.5%
