College graduates from across the country have more in common than that shiny new diploma and the class of ’13 distinction. No matter where they received their degree, they all face the same life-changing decision: where to work and where to live.  While the national unemployment rate is moving down, competition for jobs is still stiff, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics citing 11.7 million unemployed persons (April 2013) and a mere 3.8 million available jobs (March 2013). Add on the increasing cost of apartment rents, and it’s clear how important it is to live in a city that offers the best overall opportunity.  This not only includes opportunities for employment, professional growth and an affordable home, but also a location that makes you happy, catering to the needs of your day-to-day lifestyle.  To help make this process a little easier for young professionals, we have release the 6th annual Apartments.com Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates list.

While larger cities—often featured in other best-of lists—obviously offer more job opportunities, it’s important to consider all the aspects of a city, even in smaller markets.  Over the past six years, Apartments.com has been culling it’s lists to keep them relevant and meaningful.  We adjust our methodology as needed to reflect current economic changes, taking in the bigger picture in unemployment, affordability and other key factors.

#1 Priority: Affordability

This year’s took a deep look at affordability and not just median income.  This bodes well for cities where the average rent for a one bedroom apartment fell within the recommended spend of no more than 25% of one’s gross monthly income.  Additionally, cities with unemployment above 7% were eliminated as we believe low unemployment contributes to a vibrant community with more job opportunities across the board.  Not only is this a good for those just starting their professional careers, but also a positive indicator for career advancement and growth.

#2 Priority – Lifestyle and Social Scene

In addition, we took demographics into account, and added weight to those cities with a high population of young single adults.  To help steer our list away from all college towns and retirement communities, we also gave more weight to cities with the highest population of 25 to 29 year olds.

Here is the list of 10 cities that we believe are great locations for newly-minted grads.

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