Knowing the best states for young professionals holds substantial importance in shaping early career trajectories and overall quality of life. Certain states offer a blend of vibrant job markets, networking opportunities, affordable living costs, and a conducive environment for personal growth. By identifying these places, young professionals can make informed decisions about where to establish their careers, leveraging the potential for accelerated professional development and financial stability.
Understanding the best states for young professionals empowers individuals to kickstart their careers on a promising path while enjoying a balanced lifestyle conducive to both personal and professional fulfillment.
Considering this, Scholaroo conducted an investigation using publicly available data to determine the rankings of states that excel in offering these facilities to emerging professionals.
To reveal the rankings of every state within specific categories, just interact with the map provided below!
Overall ranking
Category Breakdown
Methodology
In order to determine what are the Best States for Young Professionals in the USA, Scholaroo compared the 50 states across six key dimensions:
1. Job Market and Work Conditions
2. Affordability
3. Crime & Safety
4. Workplace diversity
5. Health
6. Leisure
We evaluated those dimensions using 34 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 being the max.
Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Job Market and Work Conditions: (35 Points)
Employment rate: Triple Weight (5.25 points)
The number of people employed per capita (considering the population over 18).
Unemployment rate: Double Weight (3.5 points)
The number of people unemployed per capita (considering the population over 18).
Entry-level job opportunities: Triple Weight (5.25 points)
Number of entry-level job opportunities per capita (considering the population over 18).
Change in employment over the year: Regular Weight (1.75 points)
Annual percentage change in employment from June 2022 to June 2023, seasonally adjusted.
Internships available per college student: Regular Weight (1.75 points)
The number of internship vacancies per undergraduate student in each state.
Average Salary for Internship: Double Weight (3.5 points)
The average student internship salary in each state.
Average Annual Salary: Triple Weight (5.25 points)
The average annual salary estimates for a state.
Minimum Wage: Triple Weight (5.25 points)
The basic minimum wage per hour.
Working hours: Regular Weight (1.75 points)
The average hours of all employees on private non-farm payrolls by state.
Commute time: Half Weight (0.88 points)
Travel time to work in one day (round trip).
Working Conditions (Occupational Fatalities): Half Weight (0.88 points)
Number of fatal occupational injuries in construction, manufacturing, trade, transportation and utility industries as well as professional and business services per capita.
Affordability: (17 Points)
Median household income: Regular Weight (3.09 points)
The average family income of one employee.
Median home value: Regular Weight (3.09 points)
The average value of a residential property.
Median Rent: Regular Weight (3.09 points)
The average monthly rent overall.
Grocery cost: Regular Weight (3.09 points)
The average monthly cost of groceries per person.
Health insurance cost: Regular Weight (3.09 points)
The average cost of individual health insurance per month.
Homeownership: Half Weight (1.55 points)
The homeownership rates.
Crime & Safety: (10 Points)
Police officers rate: Regular Weight (2.86 points)
The number of police officers per capita.
Aggravated assault: Half Weight (1.43 points)
The number of registered cases of aggravated assaults per capita.
Robbery rate: Regular Weight (2.86 points)
The number of registered cases of robbery per capita.
Sexual assault rate: Regular Weight( 2.86 points)
The number of registered cases of sexual assault per capita.
Workplace diversity: (18 Points)
Employment of people with disabilities: Regular Weight( 4.5 points)
The percent of individuals who are employed out of the total population.
LGBT state anti-discrimination laws: Regular Weight( 4.5 points)
State laws protecting against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment
Gender wage gap: Regular Weight( 4.5 points)
Women's earnings as a percentage of men's earning
Racial Wage gap: Regular Weight( 4.5 points)
National's Earnings Disparity Relative to White Workers
Health: (8 Points)
Physicians rate: Regular Weight (2 Points)
The number of professionally active physicians, considering primary care and specialized doctors.
Insufficient Sleep: Regular Weight (2 Points)
The number of adults who reported sleeping, on average, fewer than seven hours in a 24-hour period.
Inactive Population: Regular Weight (2 Points)
The number of adults who reported doing no physical activity or exercise other than their regular job in the past 30 days.
Mental Distress: Regular Weight (2 Points)
The percentage of adults who reported their mental health was not good for 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Leisure: (12 Points)
Number of gyms per capita: Half Weight (2 Points)
The total number of gyms per capita.
Restaurants and bars per capita: Regular Weight (4 Points)
The number of places to eat and drink per capita (considering the population over 18).
Museums and galleries: Half Weight (2 Points)
The number of museums and galleries per capita.
Movie Theater Visits: Half Weight (2 Points)
The frequency of people visiting movie theaters per capita
Book Store Visits: Half Weight (2 Points)
The frequency of people visiting bookstores per capita