Looking at factors such as the health of the job market and quality of life, WalletHub ranked Austin, Texas as the third best city in the United States in which to start a career. Austin’s overall quality of life rank was seventh, and its overall professional opportunities rank was ninth, for a total score of 64.37. Salt Lake City, Utah was first with a score of 69.56, and Denver, Colorado was second with a score of 65.27. Other Texas cities in the top ten include Amarillo, Houston, and Corpus Christi, in eighth, ninth, and tenth place, respectively.
Unlike many other rankings, WalletHub focused on cities proper, rather than including areas surrounding the metro. For example, this means it is the City of Austin that is ranked, instead of the larger Austin-Round Rock or Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos corridor.
The included factors involved with the Professional Opportunities ranking were Availability of Entry-Level Jobs, Median Starting Salary (adjusted for cost of living,) Annual Job-Growth Rate, Median-Income Growth Rate, Economic Mobility, Workforce Diversity, Unemployment Rate, and Entrepreneurial Activity.