Top Cities Where Your First Job Pays More Than Average

Getting started in a career is always difficult and wages of course are always an issue because you have to ask yourself, “can I actually survive on my starting wages”? 

According to axios.com,
‘What's holding back hiring is a mix of fleeting, cyclical factors — economic uncertainty as a result of Trump's trade policies, for instance, or high interest rates.
Other factors, like the uptake of AI eliminating entry-level positions, are likely structural. The result might be a difficult hiring environment for younger people for the foreseeable future. Young but less-educated Americans also feel the pinch. The sluggish pace of job gains is widespread across the economy, including in industries that, in normal times, would be the most likely to hire them. 

There is some good news for job seekers. 

Well, there are certain cities where you make more when you start your career there than in other cities, and we're going to take a look at that right now. 

Certain cities offer a higher starting wage than average for a career person than others, and we'll give you the top five. This information is based on data from 2020 to 2025 looking at early career wage growth sorted by metro area. 

Our number five city is Austin, TX. Austin, TX offers about a 5.2% improvement over the national average. 

Our number four city is Charleston SC with starting wage growth coming out approximately 5.3% better. 

The number three city is Orlando, FL. With starting wage growth averaging 5.4% better than the national average. 

Coming in at # two Boise, ID with a starting wage growth coming in at approximately 5.5% higher than the national average. 

Where is #1. 

The number one city for highest starting wage growth Is Provo UT, coming in at approximately 7% higher than the national average. 

Seattle, WA. gets an honorable mention with starting wage growth of approximately 5% higher than the national average.  

Seattle still shows up among the highest earning metros for early career workers. Currently it's a soft market, but for those who can start their careers in the Seattle area, the prospects look bright.
Seattle among top metros for early-career salaries - Axios Seattle
Young America faces an economic crisis