Best cities to start a career in 2026: Atlanta ranks No.1, new report finds

Atlanta is the best city in the country to start a career, according to a new report released Monday.

Personal finance company WalletHub ranked Atlanta No. 1 in its 2026 Best & Worst Places to Start a Career report, edging out a field of more than 180 U.S. cities to claim the top spot for career-hungry new graduates.

The company compared 182 cities, including the 150 most populated in the country, plus at least two of the most populated in each state, across 25 measures it calls key indicators of “career-friendliness.” Those measures ranged from how many entry-level jobs are available to what starting salaries look like when adjusted for what it actually costs to live there, to whether housing is affordable.

Atlanta scored a 71.33 out of 100 overall, finishing second in professional opportunities and third in quality of life, a combination that pushed it past the competition. The city ranked first in the nation for entry-level jobs per 100,000 working-age residents, 10th for annual job growth and 25th for monthly average starting salary adjusted for cost of living.

Four other Sun Belt cities rounded out the top five. Orlando, Fla., came in second with a score of 70.28, followed by Austin, Texas, at 67.37. Tampa, Fla., ranked fourth at 67.10, and Miami rounded out the top five at 65.92, though Miami ranked 74th in quality of life despite claiming the No. 1 spot for professional opportunities.

The report comes as employers across the country continue to report difficulty finding qualified workers, making the timing of its release, right in the heart of graduation season, particularly pointed for the millions of new graduates entering the job market this spring.

WalletHub noted that its analysis looked only at city proper boundaries and did not include surrounding metro areas.