Brightly lit, fast-paced, populous New York City has often been seen as the land of opportunity, career-wise.
A 2017 WalletHub study suggests that the reality may be different.
After comparing the 150 most populated cities across categories such as professional opportunities, starting salary, commute time, and cost of living, WalletHub ranked New York City outside the top 100 best cities for jobs.
That's right: NYC isn't even one of the top 100 best cities in America to find work.
"Although New York might be perceived as the city that offers the most opportunities, realistically, job opportunities are scarce and competition is high," WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez tells Brick Underground.
Off the 150 cities analyzed, New York City ranked 122 for job opportunities. It ranked even lower for median starting salary and median annual income: 147 for both.
As Brick Underground notes, "the average starting salary in NYC is significantly higher than the nationwide average. But when it's measured against the cost of living … that edge over the rest of the country just isn't enough."
After taking all expenses into account — housing costs, food prices, and other living expenses — the cost of living in New York City is nearly 70% higher than the national average, SmartAsset reports. And if you're in Manhattan, the cost of living is more than double the national average.
To cap things off, New Yorkers deal with the longest commute time in the country: 34.8 minutes.
If you want to find a great place to work, WalletHub suggests that you will have better luck elsewhere. Like perhaps Arizona: Three of the top 10 best cities to find a job are located there.
