New survey data has revealed that Atlanta is the best city in the United States to start a career, while New York City is the worst.
The data, published by personal finance website WalletHub, states that the city of Georgia is joined by Orlando and Salt Lake City in the top three.
At the very bottom of the list next to the Big Apple are cities like Gulfport, Mississippi and Newark, New Jersey.
To determine the results, WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities — including the 150 most populous cities — examining professional opportunities and quality of life.
To determine the results, WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities – including the 150 most populous cities – examining professional opportunities and quality of life
New survey data shows that Atlanta, Georgia (left) is the best city in the United States to start a career, while New York City (right) is the worst
The outlet looked at more than 180 U.S. cities and used 26 key indicators of career friendliness, including monthly average starting salary and housing affordability.
Each metric was rated on a 100-point scale and scores ranged from 0 to 100.
Atlanta, the overall top city, received a score of 66.87, number two in professional opportunity and number seven in quality of life.
The number one city in professional opportunities, Miami ranks seventh overall on the list and ranks 101st in quality of life.
Just behind Atlanta, Orlando and Salt Lake City are Columbia, South Carolina and Tampa Florida.
Tempe, Arizona – which ranks 12th on the overall list – placed first for quality of life and 54th on the professional opportunity list.
At the very bottom of the list, New York City ranks 181st for professional opportunities and 171st for quality of life. The city’s overall score was only 33.29.
Just below New York are Gulfport and Newark, followed by Detroit, Michigan and Santa Clarita, California.
Orlando, Florida (left) and Salt Lake City, Utah took second and third place on the list
Along with New York City, Gulfport, Mississippi (left) and Newark, New Jersey (right), made the bottom three career-starting cities
Three of the top cities for average starting salaries, adjusted for cost of living, are found in Texas, as Austin, Houston and Fort Worth share the top spot.
Durham, North Carolina and Tacoma, Washington also ranked number one.
On the other hand, Gulfport, Anchorage, Honolulu, Pearl City and Juneau came in at the bottom.
Cities with the most entry-level jobs are Orlando, Columbia and St. Louis, while the bottom three are Moreno Valley, California, Santa Clarita and New York.
Another key factor in WalletHub’s study was affordable housing, with New York also coming in last place alongside Glendale and Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Des Moines, Iowa have the most affordable housing.
The youngest cities include Seattle, Boston, and Denver, while the oldest cities include Gilbert, Arizona, Peoria, Arizona and Cape Coral, Florida.