Where Do Recent Grads Have the Best Chance of Finding a Job?

"[B]y using a metric called a "location quotient," or LQ for short, which shows a metro's current concentration of these fast-growing, educated jobs relative to the national average," Richard Florida and his colleagues are able to look beyond the total number of job openings to glean which cities provide graduates with the best odds of landing a job in a highly educated field.

Applying the LQ lens, it becomes clear that the country's "high-tech, knowledge economy" hubs offer the best opportunities. The San Jose metro leads the list, followed by greater Washington, D.C., Boston-Cambridge, Seattle, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Raleigh-Cary, and Austin. 

"The remainder of the top ten are more interesting," writes Florida. "Rounding out the bunch are Hartford, Connecticut, as well as hard-hit Detroit, Michigan, and Baltimore, Maryland. It is especially encouraging to see Detroit among the nation's leaders in job openings for talented young people. This suggests that efforts from the local business community to remake its downtown may have real legs."