2 Phoenix suburbs ranked among best U.S. cities to begin a career

That first job out of college can really make or break your professional and adult life. Pick a city that doesn’t have many entry-level roles, and you might be miserably job hunting for months. Find a position in a city with a high cost of living, and your fun new paycheck might not feel so fun after most of it goes toward rent.

But there’s some good news for the newest batch of Arizona State University graduates: If they want to stay in the Valley for their first job, it might not be a bad idea. 

Eight cities in the Valley were ranked among financial site WalletHub’s 2026 list of Best and Worst Places to Start a Career. Scottsdale ranked first in the state, with Tempe close behind it. Phoenix came in third. (Not in the Valley but still in-state, Tucson ranked 101st out of 183 cities nationally, or eighth out of nine Arizona locales.)

WalletHub analyzed 25 metrics for 183 cities in the country. This included the top 150 most populous cities as well as the two most populous cities in each state. The metrics added up to 100 points and were categorized as “professional opportunities” and “quality of life.” For “professional opportunities,” the financial site analyzed data about the availability of entry-level jobs, unemployment rate, the availability of career counselors and more. For “Quality of life,” WalletHub analyzed data about housing affordability, average commute time, number of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree aged 25 and older, among other factors.

Here’s how the Valley’s cities stack up against each other and in the nation for places to start a career.