The 10 US states with the worst conditions for recent graduates to start a career
Young professionals want to live in states where they are paid well and have the opportunity to move up, both areas where these 10 cities fail.
After finishing school, many recent graduates are deciding where they would like to start their working lives after college. While there are some states that are good for starting a career, there are others that young professionals are better off staying away from.
According to a new study from BestColleges.com, a website with useful information for students, West Virginia is the worst state to start a career, due to a lack of job openings and a low average starting salary.
The 10 US states with the worst conditions for recent graduates to start a career
BestColleges ranked all 50 states on nine metrics, based on publicly available data, including median rental price, cost of living, median starting salary, number of openings, racial/ethnic diversity and fun level. These metrics were also weighted by level of importance.
Based on the findings, these are the 10 worst states to start a career:
- West Virginia
- Maine
- Montana
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Alaskan
- Kentucky
- Wyoming
- South Dakota
- Idaho
Young professionals want to live in states where they are paid well and have the opportunity to move up, both areas where West Virginia fails.
And it is that, although West Virginia has a relatively low cost of living, the average starting salary is only $29,305 a year, 35% less than the average starting salary in New York, the best place for recent graduates to start a career.
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Maine, the second-worst state, boasts a high cost of living and high median rental prices, while also having limited job opportunities, making it another less-than-ideal state for professionals just starting out.
The average cost of living in Maine is about $45,272.
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