2 SC cities among the best places to start a career in US, new study says. Here’s where & why

Looking for a job is the first and biggest challenge many college graduates face upon receiving their diplomas, and given the current state of the labor market, some are increasingly worried about finding employment.

There is higher labor force participation in the U.S. right now. Still, the unemployment rates for young college graduates and young non-college workers have risen slightly faster than the overall unemployment rate, according to the non-profit think-tank Economic Policy Institute.

That has created a sense of urgency among younger workers to find places where they have a better chance of landing a job. Everything from an area’s job-market saturation, housing affordability and commuter-friendliness plays a part in whether an area is suitable for employment.

WalletHub, a personal finance company, released a study that shows the best cities in the nation to start laying the foundation for your career.

“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.

They took a look at more than 180 cities in the nation, comparing each place’s relative market strength and overall livability, using 25 key metrics that range from the availability of entry-level jobs to the average monthly starting salary to housing affordability.

The Southeast holds many cities that made the ranking, and two cities in South Carolina were also listed.

The 2 SC cities that made the ranking

Two of SC’s most well-known cities ranked in the top 10 places in the U.S. to build a new career.

Every city that made the ranking received a score for its professional opportunities and quality of life. They graded a city’s professional opportunities using the following factors:

• Availability of Entry-Level Jobs
• 4+ Star Company Jobs per Total People in Labor Force
• Monthly Average Starting Salary: Full Weight
• Annual Job Growth Rate
• Median-Income Growth Rate
• Share of Workers in Poverty
• Workforce Diversity
• Unemployment Rate
• Underemployment Rate
• Job Satisfaction
• Career Counselors per 1,000 Workers
• Entrepreneur-Friendliness
• MSA GDP Growth Rate

Quality of life was graded using these factors:

• Median Annual income
• Average Length of Work
• Commuter-Friendly Jobs
• Average Commute Time
• Share of Population Aged 24 to 34
• Share of Millennial newcomers
• Share of Adults Aged 25 & Older with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree
• Projected Population Growth (2046 vs. 2016)
• Housing Affordability
• Fun-Friendliness
• Family-Friendliness
• Singles-Friendliness

Here are the SC cities that made the ranking:

#6. Charleston

SC’s beloved City of Charleston placed 6th on the national ranking. Additionally, Charleston also placed 7th for professional opportunities and 19th for quality of life.

#10. Columbia

SC’s capital ranked 10th in the nation, and placed 12th for professional opportunities and 21st for quality of life. These additional rankings were given for Columbia:

• 83^rd – Projected Population Growth (2046 vs. 2016)
• 85^th – Housing Affordability
• 64^th – Monthly Avg. Starting Salary (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
• 1^st – Entry-Level Jobs per 100,000 Working-Age Population
• 54^th – Annual Job Growth Rate (Adjusted for Population Growth)
• 41^st – % of Adults Ages 25+ with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree

To see the full WalletHub report, click here.