Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011)

This article ranks the best cities for young professionals based on each city's cumulative z-score across four categories: (1) median salary for those holding a bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher); (3) percentage of population aged 20-34; and (4) unemployment rate. For purposes of this article, "cities" are incorporated municipalities with populations of 300,000 or more.

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1. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Austin, Texas

Population: 767,139
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $64,346
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.3%
Population aged 20-34: 33.4%
Unemployment Rate: 6.5%

2. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Minneapolis, Minnesota

Population: 382,000
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $59,948
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.6%
Population aged 20-34: 31.4%
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%

3. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Washington, D.C.

Population: 599,657
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $64,412
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.5%
Population aged 20-34: 26.6%
Unemployment Rate: 5.4%

4. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Seattle, Washington

Population: 616,669
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $60,632
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 56.0%
Population aged 20-34: 29.6%
Unemployment Rate: 8.6%

5. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Boston, Massachusetts

Population: 645,187
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $51,355
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 44.7%
Population aged 20-34: 34.4%
Unemployment Rate: 6.5%

6. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Raleigh, North Carolina

Population: 392,217
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $62,893
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 47.5%
Population aged 20-34: 28.6%
Unemployment Rate: 7.7%

7. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Columbus, Ohio

Population: 773,021
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $62,370
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 33.4%
Population aged 20-34: 30.6%
Unemployment Rate: 7.3%

8. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Atlanta, Georgia

Population: 540,932
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $63,330
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 46.5%
Population aged 20-34: 28.0%
Unemployment Rate: 9.7%

9. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Baltimore, Maryland

Population: 637,418
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $75,472
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 26.1%
Population aged 20-34: 25.4%
Unemployment Rate: 7%

10. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Denver, Colorado

Population: 610,345
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $61,922
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 40.3%
Population aged 20-34: 28.6%
Unemployment Rate: 8.3%

11. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Population: 311,640
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $58,885
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 32.6%
Population aged 20-34: 29.3%
Unemployment Rate: 6.5%

12. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Portland, Oregon

Population: 566,606
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $61,896
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 42.8%
Population aged 20-34: 27.7%
Unemployment Rate: 8.8%

13. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Cincinnati, Ohio

Population: 333,013
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $65,702
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 32.0%
Population aged 20-34: 27.0%
Unemployment Rate: 8.4%

14. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Omaha, Nebraska

Population: 454,714
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $61,471
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 32.4%
Population aged 20-34: 23.8%
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%

15. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Dallas, Texas

Population: 1,299,590
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $64,619
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 28.2%
Population aged 20-34: 27.3%
Unemployment Rate: 7.7%

16. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Nashville, Tennessee

Population: 605,466
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $62,570
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 34.5%
Population aged 20-34: 26.8%
Unemployment Rate: 8.7%

17. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- San Francisco, California

Population: 815,358
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $50,665
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 52.0%
Population aged 20-34: 27.5%
Unemployment Rate: 9.5%

18. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Population: 560,226
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $61,343
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 27.3%
Population aged 20-34: 23.3%
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%

19. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Charlotte, North Carolina

Population: 687,384
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $64,655
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 40.1%
Population aged 20-34: 25.2%
Unemployment Rate: 10.3%

20. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Kansas City, Missouri

Population: 479,330
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $68,182
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 30.0%
Population aged 20-34: 23.9%
Unemployment Rate: 8.1%

21. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Population: 1,547,297
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $71,633
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 23.2%
Population aged 20-34: 24.4%
Unemployment Rate: 8.0%

22. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Chicago, Illinois

Population: 2,850,502
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $60,130
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 33.1%
Population aged 20-34: 27.2%
Unemployment Rate: 8.7%

23. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Houston, Texas

Population: 2,260,918
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $64,516
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 27.9%
Population aged 20-34: 25.4%
Unemployment Rate: 8.0%

24. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Indianapolis, Indiana

Population: 807,640
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $65,315
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 28.0%
Population aged 20-34: 24.4%
Unemployment Rate: 7.6%

25. Best Cities for Young Professionals (2011) -- Colorado Springs, Colorado

Population: 399,803
Median salary with bachelor's degree (adjusted for cost of living): $68,228
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 36.2%
Population aged 20-34: 21.9%
Unemployment Rate: 9.1%

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" Largest U.S. Cities: Population Size and Demographics "
" Most Dangerous Cities in America - Murder Rates "
" State Education Rankings: Graduation Rates for High School, College, and Grad/Professional School "
" State Education Rankings: SAT Scores "

Source(s):

"Cities ," City-Data.com
"Local Area Unemployment Statistics ," Bureau of Labor Statistics
" Simply Salary ," Simply Hired
"2009 ACS 1-year Estimates ," U.S. Census Bureau
"2007-2009 ACS 3-year Estimates ," U.S. Census Bureau