Graduation season is nearly here and a new crop of college graduates is weighing where to launch careers and find affordable housing. A new joint analysis from Redfin and Glassdoor underscores that while strong wages matter, affordability is the defining factor shaping where early-career workers choose to put down roots.
The ranking comes as new graduates enter a more challenging landscape, with unemployment for young workers running above the national average and housing affordability stretched across much of the country.
Washington, D.C., leads the nation's large metros for early-career professionals, thanks to a strong mix of earnings, job access and relative affordability. Early-career workers in D.C. earn nearly $80,000 on average, while a typical starter home costs about $320,000. That translates to just over four years to save for a down payment, with housing costs consuming roughly a third of income. The city also stands out for opportunity, with one of the highest concentrations of job postings per worker among major metros, reinforcing its appeal for career starters.
Other top-ranked large cities illustrate the trade-offs graduates face. Boston offers slightly higher salaries, but a $460,000 starter home pushes the time needed to save for a down payment to nearly seven years, with rent and mortgage costs exceeding 45% of income.
At the other end, St. Louis and Chicago stand out for affordability, with down payment timelines as short as three years and housing costs closer to 20%–28% of income.
Sun Belt markets are also featured prominently. Dallas and Houston combine moderate home prices, ranging from roughly $215,000 to $240,000, with manageable rent burdens, while Austin lands in the top 10 despite slightly higher costs.
In the mid-sized category, New Orleans ranks first, driven by relatively low home prices around $175,000 and improving wage growth. Markets like Wichita and Palm Bay also perform well, with housing costs generally below 25% of income, offering a lower barrier to entry for first-time buyers.
Among smaller metros, Springfield tops the list with a particularly favorable affordability profile. Starter homes average just $128,000, allowing buyers to save for a down payment in a little over two years, while both rent and mortgage payments consume less than 17% of income. By contrast, higher-cost small markets like Santa Fe and Bend offer strong salaries but require significantly longer saving timelines and higher income shares devoted to housing.
The ranking is based on 13 metrics spanning housing affordability, job availability and quality of life, including job postings per worker, wage growth relative to home prices and employer ratings, drawing on millions of job listings, home sales and salary reviews. The findings also highlight a highly mobile workforce, with nearly nine in ten workers in their 20s saying they would relocate for the right combination of pay and lifestyle.
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