Getting your first job out of college is a big step and one that is not always easy. Depending on where you live, you might find it easier or harder to get a good job after graduation.
Fortunately, GOBankingRates looked at the top cities for college grads in 15 different majors to help you figure out where to put down roots. You might find that you’re in the best spot for your degree, or you might consider relocating to get your dream job.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 12
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City’s median income: $61,247
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Major’s average salary: $83,600
Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan, which has degree programs in Biology and Earth & Environmental Sciences, and it is one of the best cities to find a job if you majored in one of these fields. Graduates with these degrees often find work as biological researchers, geneticists, public health officers, park rangers, geologists, soil scientists or environmental planners.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 28.7
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City’s median income: $80,306
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Major’s average salary: $80,400
Business is the fourth highest-paying college major, according to Monster.com, and fortunately, there is no shortage of career opportunities available. You could go into market research, management analysis, human resources, purchasing and more. No matter what career you settle on, Scottsdale is one of the best cities to live in for business majors.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 7.5
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City’s median income: $54,501
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Major’s average salary: $77,500
Perhaps unsurprising for a place known for its media presence, Los Angeles is one of the best cities for recent college grads who majored in communications. A graduate with a degree in communications could seek a job in mass media, such as advertising, public relations or television development or production. Other options include broadcast or print journalism, education, human resources, fundraising or elective public office.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 23.4
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City’s median income: $122,191
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Major’s average salary: $113,100
Fremont is on the eastern border of Silicon Valley, making it one of the best places to find a job in computers, mathematics or statistics. With a degree in computer science, you could find a job as a software developer, programmer, hardware engineer or database administrator. Those with a degree in mathematics could consider a career as an actuary, cryptographer, economist or investment analyst. Statistics majors are qualified to be actuaries, business analysts, market researchers and sports statisticians.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 16.2
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City’s median income: $44,431
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Major’s average salary: $63,200
El Paso, Texas, is one of the best cities for college grads who majored in education because these professionals earn 40 percent more than the median income. Better still, Texas has both an unemployment rate and job growth rate in the top ten states in the country.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 31.9
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City’s median income: $118,314
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Major’s average salary: $112,500
Engineering majors should consider Sunnyvale, Calif., which is in Silicon Valley, making it a mecca for technology jobs. It is also the home of behemoth defense contractor Lockheed Martin, which employs over 100,000 people, as well as several semiconductor and technology companies that employ engineers.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 8.5
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City’s median income: $42,356
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Major’s average salary: $73,900
Liberal arts and history majors can earn a far higher salary than the median income in Richmond, Va., where they can find jobs in education, management, law, administration and more. The area’s proximity to Washington, D.C., makes it an especially interesting place to live and work for those with an interest in history.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 9.3
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City’s median income: $89,145
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Major’s average salary: $78,300
Cambridge, Mass., is an education hub, as it is home to Harvard University, MIT and several other colleges and universities. Seventy-five percent of Cambridge residents have at least a bachelor’s degree and about half of them have a master’s or doctorate degree.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 1.7
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City’s median income: $54,009
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Major’s average salary: $57,000
Multidisciplinary studies is a degree program that allows students to combine courses, often in different academic disciplines, to essentially create a custom major. If a student knows what they want to do after college and preparation for that career isn’t offered within a single major, they can go this hybrid degree route. The career options are virtually unlimited, but the highest pay is earned in Salt Lake City.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 10.1
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City’s median income: $27,838
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Major’s average salary: $66,800
Students who major in humanities and other arts can earn well above the median income in Detroit. Humanities majors often enter careers like teaching, counseling, public relations or art. Further, many students who continue their education in law school have an undergraduate degree in humanities.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 7
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City’s median income: $61,247
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Major’s average salary: $75,000
Physical and related sciences includes the study of physics, astronomy, chemistry and earth science. Students who graduate with these degrees often find careers in computer programming or operation, engineering, chemical research, toxicology and more. If this was your area of study, consider moving to Ann Arbor where you could earn a $75,000 salary, well over the median income for the area.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 7.4
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City’s median income: $102,722
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Major’s average salary: $74,587
If you have an undergraduate degree in psychology, think about a job in Carlsbad, Calif. You might qualify for positions like psychiatric or mental health technician, case manager or probation officer. Note, however, that many careers in psychology require a master’s or a doctorate degree. If you want to be a clinical psychologist, forensic psychologist or industrial-organizational psychologist, for example, you’ll likely need a doctorate degree.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 15.8
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City’s median income: $82,271
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Major’s average salary: $120,100
Anchorage, Alaska, has high demand for geologists, environmental scientists and other science- and engineering-related majors. With one of these degrees, you can earn a considerably higher salary than the median income in Anchorage, and the highest average salary of any major on this list.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 24.7
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City’s median income: $77,649
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Major’s average salary: $63,600
The social sciences include economics, geography, anthropology, political science and more. With a degree in one of these disciplines, you could have a career as a lobbyist, journalist, campaign staffer, diplomat or politician, making it easy to see why this is a popular degree for those in the D.C. area.
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Percentage of college graduates with that degree: 12.6
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City’s median income: $54,501
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Major’s average salary: $54,000
With a degree in visual or performing arts, the Los Angeles area would seem to be a natural place to go. Actors, singers, dancers and other performers often have degrees in the performing arts. Those who graduate with a degree in visual arts often become photographers, filmmakers and musicians.
Click through to read about so-called “working-class” jobs that pay six figures.
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Methodology: GOBankingRates found the top cities for the most popular college degree by analyzing the Census Bureau’s report of the most popular bachelor’s degree per city. GOBankingRates only considered cities that had more than 50,000 graduates in the 2017 year and observed 595 cities. For this study, GOBankingRates found the highest percent of graduates with the given degree based off the amount of total degrees for that city. Once each city with the highest percentage of graduates for a degree was found, GOBankingRates then found the cities median income sourced from the Census Bureau’s Factfinder and the mid-career pay sourced from Payscale’s College Salary report.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here Are the Top Places for the Most Popular College Degrees
