Bridgeport and New York City are the two worst places to start a career, according to a recent study by WalletHub.
The free personal finance website and mobile app that provides daily credit score update released a report May 11 that listed Bridgeport as 181st and New York City as 182nd among the places to start a career. WalletHub measured cities by key indicators of career-friendliness, availability of entry-level jobs, monthly average starting salary and housing affordability.
In order to determine the best cities in which to launch a career, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across two key dimensions – “Professional Opportunities” and “Quality of Life.” The company evaluated the two dimensions using 25 relevant metrics with each one being graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for job-market entrants.
Bridgeport received a total score of 35.79, a Professional Opportunities ranking of 173 and a Quality of Life ranking of 181. New York City had a total score of 34.67 with a Professional Opportunities ranking of 181 and a Quality of Life ranking of 173.
On the other end of the rankings, the top three cities to start a career, according to WalletHub, are Atlanta (71.33), Orlando (70.28) and Austin (67.37). Austin received the top ranking for Quality of Life while Miami was tops in Professional Opportunities.
“Transitioning out of school and into the workforce can be a difficult and stressful process, but certain cities make things a lot easier than others,” said Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst.. “The best cities for starting a career not only have a lot of job opportunities but also provide substantial income growth potential and satisfying work conditions. It’s also important to consider factors such as how fun a city is to live in or how good of a place it is for raising a family, to ensure life satisfaction outside of your career.”
Lupo explained the thinking about how Atlanta was named the top place to start a career.
“Atlanta is the best place to start a career, with strong job growth of 2.08% annually, ranking 10th in the nation,” he said. “Plus, the median annual household income in Atlanta is already pretty high, at over $90,400. In addition, Atlanta has a lot of job opportunities at companies that are rated at least 4 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor, along with plentiful entry-level jobs, and residents have a high rate of satisfaction with their jobs.”
Casey Halliley, an adjunct professor at CUNY Baruch College, told WalletHub some of the challenges facing young college graduates, especially in these troubled changes.
“Every generation faces challenges,” Halliley said. “For me it was 9/11, the tech bubble bursting, Y2K, Enron and Worldcom going bankrupt and many other terrible global problems.
“Now we have expensive housing, the potential threat of AI taking entry-level jobs, student loans and the overall increasing cost of living. But we also have access to remote work, online learning, an incredibly robust internet, investing platforms and … AI.”
One upside WalletHub discovered in its report is despite the hurdles facing young job candidates, there is a silver lining.
There are many factors — job-market saturation, housing affordability and commuter-friendliness, for instance — to consider about each prospective area. Fortunately, 69% of employers in the U.S. report difficulty finding qualified talent, indicating persistent labor shortages in 2026, which could benefit new graduates with in‑demand skills.
Read the full report and your city’s rank.
