ATLANTA — A recent ranking released by ADP Research named Atlanta the 4th best city for college graduates looking for work, good pay and affordability.
ADP Research used data representing more than four million people ages 20-29 at more than 27,000 employers across the country from Jan. 2019 - April 2024.
Three key factors the study looked at were median annual wages, hiring rate over the last 12 months and affordability in each city and metro area.
For affordability, ADP looked at the metro area regional price parity, which compares a metro area's cost of living to the national cost of living; a higher MARPP means it's relatively more expensive to live in that metro area.
Atlanta came in with a median annual wage estimate of $50,000, a nation-to-metro cost of living ratio of 1.01 and a hiring rate of 2.90%.
Here is the full top five list:
- 1. Raleigh, North Carolina
- 2. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Maryland
- 3. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
- 4. Atlanta, Georgia
- 5. Charlotte, North Carolina
