Raleigh has been ranked the top metro area for new college graduates for the second consecutive year, according to an analysis by ADP. The study evaluated 55 metropolitan areas using data on affordability, wages, and hiring activity, drawing from public cost-of-living figures and payroll data for over five million U.S. workers in their twenties.
The ranking methodology considered both the rate of job openings that require a degree and how local wages compare when adjusted for living costs. These factors were combined to create an overall score for each city.
According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, Raleigh stands out due to its strong presence of technology, healthcare, and financial companies along with a lower-than-average cost of living. The city is part of the Research Triangle region, known for its research institutions such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, as well as science and technology firms.
Kyle Touchstone, director of Raleigh Economic Development, said: “We’ve seen this stream of office projects over the last 18 months, and North Carolina State University and some of our private colleges are all supplying this great pipeline of workers.”
Major employers like Red Hat and Cisco Systems have increased efforts to recruit recent graduates in Raleigh. Scott McGuckin, vice president of talent acquisition at Cisco Systems, noted that: “The Research Triangle area accounted for nearly a third of Cisco’s overall university hiring, second only to Silicon Valley, over the past four fiscal years.”
Further information about living and working in the Triangle can be found at www.workinthetriangle.com.
