The 10 Best Cities for Entrepreneurs to Live After Graduation (Infographic) With graduation day just around the corner, find out the best places for new grads to live.

By Andrea Huspeni

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

As many aspiring entrepreneurs gird for their college graduations, the idea of starting up, as well as starting a new life in perhaps a different city can be daunting.

As an entrepreneur, much goes into the question of where to live and set up shop. Among other things, you'll probably want to locate in a city that has a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem and a healthy stream of talented workers. But also, and perhaps just as important, are the other, softer factors involved. Will you have elbow room? Are the amenities you want available? Can you afford it?

Apartment Guide recently attempted to address some of these burning questions. The findings are part of the apartment search website's survey of 1,000 21-to-24-year-olds, which was conducted in March by RedShift Research. Apartment Guide also analyzed data from Onboard Informatics to determine the top ten cities for post grads.

Even with its sky-high rents and dog-eat-dog job market, New York City managed to top the list, followed by Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. Rounding out the top 10, starting with fourth place, are: Seattle, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Portland and Denver.

And while cost of living was a major factor, the data also took into consideration other elements like music scene, restaurants, bars and sports arenas. For other cool tidbits, check out the infographic below:

Related: Can NYC Keep Its Startup Prowess? A New Report Shines Doubt

Attention College Treps: The 10 Best Cities to Live After Graduation (Infographic)

Andrea Huspeni

Founder of This Dog's Life

Andrea Huspeni is the former special projects director at Entrepreneur.com and the founder of This Dog's Life.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

This Couple Started a Side Hustle to Improve a 'Terribly Made' Bathroom Essential. Now the Business Earns More Than $3 Million a Year.

Michael Fine and Lisa Schulner-Fine launched lifestyle brand Quiet Town in 2016 and have been growing it ever since.

Business News

What's Open on Easter Sunday? Costco and Target Will Close, But One Major Retailer Will Be Open. Here's What To Know.

The stock market was closed for Good Friday on April 18. Here's what's closed for Easter Sunday, April 20.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Marketing

The One Mistake Is Putting Your Brand Reputation at Risk — and Most Startups Still Make It

Many businesses pour resources into branding and marketing but overlook PR — yet it's PR that builds the trust, credibility, and reputation that turn attention into lasting revenue in a crowded market.

Marketing

Why Micro-Influencers Are Winning the Trust Game in Marketing

Here's how micro-influencers are driving authentic brand engagement and redefining trust in digital marketing.

Science & Technology

Your Clients Are Using AI to Replace You — Do These 3 Things Before They Do

Harness these three steps to audit, evolve and future-proof your offer before AI replaces you.