New Degree, New City
San Antonio earns high marks as one of the best cities for new grads
San Antonio just keeps raking in the accolades, especially where its younger residents are concerned. Once again, Alamo City is at the top of OnlineDegrees.com's ranking of the best big cities for U.S. college graduates, thanks to several inviting reasons.
The learning website profiled 59 metro areas with a population of more than 750,000, ranking them on a 10-point scale for factors such as average rent, cost of living, nightlife, percentage of young people, median earnings, and the job market.
"Affordability alone doesn't make it one of the best big cities for newly minted college graduates — there's plenty to do and see in San Antonio," says the study. "From the annual springtime Fiesta to dining, shopping, or simply strolling along the famed verdant River Walk, new residents to San Antonio can look forward to living in a historically rich city that both 'remembers the Alamo' and supports 21st century industry sectors like aerospace, bioscience, and cybersecurity."
About a fifth of San Antonio's population is between the ages of 20 and 34, and the median rent in 2015 was only $727 — part of what secured the city the lowest cost of living in the entire study. Those with a bachelor's degree can expect to earn around $50,261, while statewide job growth is projected to be nearly 18 percent.
All of this has San Antonio in a second place tie with its neighbor to the north, Austin, which wins the distinction of having the highest percentage of millennials of all the cities. Houston takes the top spot, with nods to its numerous Fortune 500 company headquarters and abundance of pro sports teams.
