9 states represented in this shortlist.
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Ranking
Best Places for Young Professionals
Cities for early-career movers using young-grad fit, ACS education/rent/commute context where available, BLS state unemployment, sector tags, education access, city scale, and lifestyle tags. Rankings are transparent research aids. Verify rent, wages, school programs, crime, commute, taxes, and neighborhood details before making a relocation decision.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota is first under this page's stated ordering.
Median transparent recent-grad fit score across the displayed cities.
$1,385 median rent among covered rows.
How to use this shortlist
Cities for early-career movers using young-grad fit, ACS education/rent/commute context where available, BLS state unemployment, sector tags, education access, city scale, and lifestyle tags. The order is a research screen, not a promise that the first city fits every household. Open a city profile, run the affordability calculator, and verify current housing, salary, neighborhood safety, school boundaries, taxes, insurance, and commute details before deciding.
| City | Catalog | Grad fit | Median rent | Median income | 2025 population | City unemployment | Growth | Jobs | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls, South Dakota | State starter | 88/100 | $1,035 | $75,970 | 213,748 | 2.5% | +10.90% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Tea, South Dakota | 2025 population #3741 | 88/100 | $1,220 | $120,139 | 8,019 | 2.0% | +42.74% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Spearfish, South Dakota | South Dakota coverage | 87/100 | $963 | $65,688 | 14,154 | 2.2% | +15.91% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Harrisburg, South Dakota | 2025 population #3125 | 87/100 | $1,362 | $108,724 | 10,405 | 1.0% | +54.47% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Providence, Utah | 2025 population #3313 | 87/100 | $1,560 | $118,072 | 9,539 | 1.1% | +15.81% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Hyde Park, Utah | 2025 population #4523 | 87/100 | $1,273 | $113,102 | 5,786 | 5.0% | +10.44% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Lehi, Utah | Utah coverage | 86/100 | $1,964 | $131,299 | 95,313 | 4.0% | +25.56% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Waukee, Iowa | 2025 population #1192 | 86/100 | $1,383 | $101,029 | 34,890 | 3.5% | +45.73% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Eagle, Idaho | 2025 population #1202 | 86/100 | $1,765 | $122,894 | 34,658 | 2.0% | +11.19% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Highland, Utah | 2025 population #1818 | 86/100 | $2,166 | $186,075 | 21,571 | 3.9% | +11.31% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Grimes, Iowa | 2025 population #2168 | 86/100 | $1,251 | $120,037 | 17,405 | 1.9% | +12.17% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Mapleton, Utah | 2025 population #2287 | 86/100 | $1,386 | $133,142 | 16,275 | 2.3% | +43.27% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Ankeny, Iowa | Iowa coverage | 85/100 | $1,319 | $108,198 | 77,833 | 1.9% | +14.29% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Spanish Fork, Utah | 2025 population #847 | 85/100 | $1,489 | $104,844 | 48,837 | 2.3% | +14.59% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Brookings, South Dakota | South Dakota coverage | 85/100 | $889 | $63,493 | 25,355 | 4.5% | +8.45% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Verona, Wisconsin | 2025 population #2227 | 85/100 | $1,605 | $119,606 | 16,821 | 1.6% | +20.78% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Hobart, Wisconsin | 2025 population #2884 | 85/100 | $1,278 | $103,440 | 11,674 | 0.5% | +14.18% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Timnath, Colorado | 2025 population #2901 | 85/100 | $2,206 | $178,257 | 11,600 | 0.6% | +78.54% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Bondurant, Iowa | 2025 population #3290 | 85/100 | $1,337 | $135,674 | 9,647 | 0.9% | +30.35% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Tiffin, Iowa | 2025 population #4018 | 85/100 | $1,224 | $100,952 | 7,156 | 0.4% | +58.28% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Ephraim, Utah | 2025 population #4284 | 85/100 | $928 | $66,541 | 6,393 | 10.5% | +13.77% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Rigby, Idaho | 2025 population #4531 | 85/100 | $1,180 | $85,056 | 5,757 | 2.2% | +14.25% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| South Jordan, Utah | Utah coverage | 84/100 | $1,991 | $134,047 | 87,614 | 2.4% | +13.07% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Castle Rock, Colorado | 2025 population #437 | 84/100 | $2,000 | $145,197 | 83,815 | 4.4% | +14.56% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Apex, North Carolina | 2025 population #463 | 84/100 | $1,902 | $144,135 | 80,419 | 3.8% | +24.94% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| West Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa coverage | 84/100 | $1,237 | $86,594 | 74,224 | 2.4% | +8.00% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Madison, Alabama | Alabama coverage | 84/100 | $1,453 | $134,655 | 67,968 | 2.2% | +19.43% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Westfield, Indiana | 2025 population #599 | 84/100 | $1,667 | $122,789 | 66,258 | 2.8% | +42.66% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Windsor, Colorado | 2025 population #951 | 84/100 | $1,793 | $127,028 | 43,840 | 4.5% | +34.01% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Zionsville, Indiana | 2025 population #1240 | 84/100 | $1,792 | $172,024 | 33,624 | 2.8% | +10.05% | competitive | rent-friendly |