Top 25 US cities for college grads

Even though the US economy seems to be on the mend, the job scene continues to be dismal in many parts of the country. That's particularly worrying for students who have just graduated from Indian colleges and plan to head to America for higher studies.

The key is to live in a place that has a solid job market with a good amount of career opportunities. Not only does this help combat the competition that exists for jobs, but also permits job-hopping that is almost a necessity for substantial income growth (studies suggest that the most income growth happens during the first 10 years of one's career, when young professionals can switch jobs easily).  

So which are the best places for a young graduate to live and work? A recent article in The Daily Beast (http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-05-26/best-cities-for-college-graduates-from-ithaca-to-seattle/1/) has rated the 25 best places across the US on the following nine parameters:

• Presence of 20 to 24 year olds in the population
• Singles, measured as a share of unmarried people
• Earning potential
• Unemployment rate
• College-educated workforce
• Rental housing
• Youth-oriented amenities
• Creative capital
• Openness (a region's openness to new and different kinds of people) 

So what are the best places for the Class of 2010 to settle down in? Here are the top 25:

1. Ithaca, New York
2. Madison, Wisconsin
3. Ann Arbor, Michigan
4. Durham, North Carolina
5. Austin Round-Rock, Texas
6. Boulder, Colorado
7. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia
8. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusettes-New Hampshire
9. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania
10. Iowa City, Iowa
11. Charlottesville, Virginia
12. College Station-Bryan, Texas
13. Lawrence, Kansas
14. Lincoln, Nebraska
15. Tallahassee, Florida
16. Columbia, Missouri
17. Trenton-Ewing, New Jersey
18. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California
19. State College, Pennsylvania
20. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, California
21. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California
22. Santa Barbara-Santa Maria, California
23. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York
24. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
25. Seattle, Washington

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh