Wall Street Journal ranks Birmingham in top five metros for young professionals

The Magic City is among the top five most promising locations to find work for recent college graduates, according to a recent article by the Wall Street Journal titled The Cities Where College Grads Are Actually Landing Jobs.

Birmingham featured in The Cities Where College Grads Are Actually Landing Jobs

As if we needed another reason to hype up the Magic City, the Wall Street Journal’s recent message to job-hunting college grads featured Birmingham as one of five “second-tier cities” that offer strong hiring opportunities, decent salaries and an affordable cost-of-living. The five cities are:

• Raleigh, North Carolina
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Austin, Texas
• Birmingham, Alabama

The article—which utilized research from a new study by payroll-services provider ADP—encourages recent college graduates to consider these cities as alternatives to sprawling, popular metros like Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

According to the study, the main factor setting these top-ranking cities apart from the pack is their tendency to have a high concentration of technology, health and financial firms.

“This national recognition reinforces the strength of our regional economy—especially in sectors like healthcare, finance and technology—and validates the momentum we’re building through our talent pipeline, business climate, and affordability.

Trevor Sutton, Vice President of Economic Development, Birmingham Business Alliance

The Wall Street Journal’s article also spotlighted Aaron Gill, a recent Samford University graduate who chose Birmingham over his hometown of Atlanta due to a job at Vulcan Materials and the smaller, less congested lifestyle in the Magic City.

“Attracting and retaining young talent is essential to the economic future of the Greater Birmingham Region — and the momentum is real.

We often say Birmingham is the best place to make a difference while making a living. Young professionals here are building careers in dynamic industries like bioscience, healthcare, tech, finance and more without sacrificing quality of life.

From a vibrant downtown and nationally ranked restaurants to quick access to the outdoors, it’s easy to plug into opportunity and community.”

Trevor Sutton, Vice President of Economic Development, Birmingham Business Alliance

Excited to see Birmingham lauded by the Wall Street Journal? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!