Michelle Adams, Managing Editor

After extensive analysis, NerdWallet has named Arlington, Va. as the best U.S. city for recent college graduates.

NerdWallet, a San Francisco-based financial education company, examined “job options, the age of the population, rent costs and median earnings” and “unemployment rates,” in the 100 largest cities in the United States, to compile their list of the best places for recent graduates to live.

Coming out on top was Arlington, Va., a heavily populated suburb of the nation’s capital. Although rent prices can be high, according to NerdWallet, nearly three-quarters of those over 25 in Arlington have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the median earning for this demographic is a whopping $72,406 per year.

Arlington is followed by Madison, Wis., praised for its large population of 20 to 29 year olds, and Washington, D.C., where jobs in “management, business, science or the arts” are plentiful. Boston and Minneapolis finish off the top five.

Other local cities making the list include Pittsburgh at number 7, Norfolk, Va., at 13, and Richmond, Va., coming in at 17.

Additionally, the organization reported that employers nationwide “plan to hire 11 percent more college graduates from the class of 2016” than in previous years.

They considered data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 data report, as well as statistics from the Bureau of Labor, in their report.

Feature photo courtesy of Saul Centers.