In Forbes’ fourth annual list of “Best Cities for Young Professionals”, Houston, Texas ranked number one followed closely by Dallas which ranked sixth and Austin which rounded out the top ten at number ten.  At a time when unemployment across the country is close to ten percent, recent college graduates are finding it more difficult to find good paying jobs upon graduation.

These top ten cities are places for the young business professional to seek employment and receive better than average incomes.  The list was compiled based on the rankings of unemployment numbers, average income and cost of living.  Forbes also ranked metro areas based upon how many of the 200 largest U.S. public companies were located in that area.  “Elite graduates” were also factored into the equation.  Forbes counted the number of Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Rice, and Northwestern University Class of 2000 graduates who were living in each city today.

Forbes declared, “The Lone Star Shines” based on the fact that three of the top ten cities on their list hail from Texas.  Houston, ranks number one overall, and boasts a strong economy, good average income and is home to 14 of the top 200 public companies, second only to New York City.  Dallas at number six offers a “$63,000 median salary for college graduates,” and Austin has low unemployment numbers compared to the rest of the nation.  Below is how Texas stacked up:

Houston, Texas

1. Houston, Texas
(Metropolitan Statistical Area: Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas)
Cost of Living rank: 27
Large Companies rank: 2
Elite Graduates rank: 6
Average Income rank: 7
Unemployment rank: 18

6. Dallas, Texas
(Metropolitan Statistical Area: Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas)
Cost of Living rank: 28
Large Companies rank: 10
Elite Graduates rank: 13
Average Income rank: 12
Unemployment rank: 13

10. Austin, Texas
(Metropolitan Statistical Area: Austin-Round Rock, Texas)
Cost of Living rank: 33
Large Companies rank: 25
Elite Graduates rank: 11
Average Income rank: 17
Unemployment rank: 5

Other cities on the list were Washington, DC (2nd), Minneapolis /St.Paul, MN (3rd),  New York, NY (4th), Boston, MA (5th), Seattle, WA (7th), Denver, CO (8th), and Atlanta, GA (9th ).

The full Forbes list can be accessed at their website: http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/17/best-cities-young-professionals-lifestyle-real-estate-careers.html

Are you looking for a new home in Texas?  Try SaveOnANewHome to search great deals on a new home!

• Previous Entry: Texas Leads the Way: Digging the Nation out of the Recession the Texas Way
• Next Entry: Everything’s Bigger in Texas, Including Business