Rochester was named among some of the best cities to start a career, while New York City was ranked as the worst, according to a new WalletHub study.
As we near the end of spring, many recent college graduates will be looking to start their new careers. Many driving forces, like housing affordability, job market saturation and commuter-friendliness, play into where new grads will decide to enter the workforce, the study states.
“Transitioning out of school and into the workforce can be a difficult and stressful process, but certain cities make things a lot easier than others,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “The best cities for starting a career not only have a lot of job opportunities but also provide substantial income growth potential and satisfying work conditions.”
To help recent college graduates find the best areas to begin their careers, WalletHub compared 182 cities in the United States across 25 metrics, ranging from the availability of entry-level jobs to the average monthly starting salary to housing affordability.
Here’s how the cities in New York ranked.
Are New York cities good places to start a career?
Other than Rochester, many of the New York cities on WalletHub’s list didn’t rank too well as good places to start a career.
Rochester scored the No. 36 spot on WalletHub’s Best & Worst Places to Start a Career, with an overall score of 54.71. The Flower City placed No. 27 for the professional opportunities rank and No. 76 for the quality of life rank.
New York City scored the No. 182 spot, with an overall score of 34.67, making it the worst city on WalletHub’s list to start a career. The Big Apple placed last for the professional opportunities rank and No. 173 for the quality of life rank. New York City was also ranked to have the least affordable housing out of all 182 cities on WalletHub’s list.
Here is how the other two cities ranked:
WalletHub’s 10 best cities to start a career
WalletHub’s 10 worst cities to start a career
How WalletHub assessed best places to start a career
To determine the best and worst cities to start a career, WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities- including the 150 most populated cities, with at least two of the most populated cities in each state- across two dimensions: professional opportunities and quality of life.
The professional opportunities category analyzed these factors:
The quality of life category analyzed these factors:
Data used to create the ranking was collected as of April 13, 2026, and was sourced from multiple entities, including WalletHub research, the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
—Madison Scott is a New York Connect reporter, covering entertainment, breaking and consumer news, and trending topics with a focus on stories that matter to readers across New York state. She also has an interest in how the system helps or doesn’t help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@USATodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester shines, NYC struggles in new career city ranking
Reporting by Madison Scott, New York Connect Team / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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