The 10 Best Cities For Young Job Seekers

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Jay Reed / Flickr

Employment trends on the whole aren't looking great for young people, but that may be partly because today's 20-somethings aren't looking in the right places.

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From the start of the millennium through 2011, the share of employed Americans in their early 20s (ages 21 t0 25) fell from 84% to 72%. What's more, the employment rate among those in their late 20s (ages 26 to 30) dropped from 88% to 80%, according to a new study from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW).

To help these young job seekers increase their chances of finding work, researchers at the CEW analyzed where, exactly, their best job prospects are.

Using 2010 data from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey, the CEW has compiled a list of the 10 cities in the U.S. with the highest employment rates for 21- to 30-year-olds. The analysis was limited to cities with youth populations of at least 200,000. It found that in the cities with the best 20-something job prospects, youth employment rates ranged from 75% to 80%, significantly above the national average of 70%.

The numbers don't lie. This is one case where relocating for your career could make a big difference.

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10. Milwaukee, Wis.

Milwaukee
Wikimedia/Towpilot

Young adult employment rate: 74.5%

General employment rate: 67.8%

Young adult population: 218,008

General population: 1,017,756

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9. Seattle/Everett, Wash.

Seattle
en:Kazamm / Wikimedia Commons

Young adult employment rate: 74.7%

General employment rate: 70.2%

Young adult population: 406,404

General population: 1,874,057

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8. Austin, Texas

Austin
LoneStarMike / Wikimedia Commons

Young adult employment rate: 75.0%

General employment rate: 72.6%

Young adult population: 295,832

General population: 1,121,847

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7. Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City
User:Charvex / Wikimedia Commons

Young adult employment rate: 75.1%

General employment rate: 71.3%

Young adult population: 258,685

General population: 1,235,111

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6. Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News, Va.

Virginia Beach
Patrickneil / Wikimedia Commons

Young adult employment rate: 75.5%

General employment rate: 70.2%

Young adult population: 267,788

General population: 1,094,605

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5. Salt Lake City/Ogden, Utah

Salt Lake
Skyguy414 / Wikimedia Commons

Young adult employment rate: 77.0%

General employment rate: 71.3%

Young adult population: 260,870

General population: 989,311

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4. Washington, D.C. (Tie)

Washington DC
Wendy Harman / Wikimedia Commons

Young adult employment rate: 77.3%

General employment rate: 74.6%

Young adult population: 843,709

General population: 3,846,500

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4. Denver/Boulder, Colo. (Tie)

Denver
Matt Wright / Wikimedia Commons

Young adult employment rate: 77.3%

General employment rate: 71.9%

Young adult population: 404,208

General population: 1,763,089

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2. Columbus, Ohio

Columbus
Rfgagel / Wikimedia Commons

Young adult employment rate: 77.7%

General employment rate: 70.8%

Young adult population: 254,878

General population: 1,106,181

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1. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.

Minneapolis
Jdkoenig / Wikimedia Commons

Young adult employment rate: 79.6%

General employment rate: 74.3%

Young adult population: 452,083

General population: 2,124,137

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