Tech sector employment is experiencing some challenges, with workforce reductions and uncertainty about the future of AI. Coupled with high housing costs, the San Francisco Bay Area may seem off-limits for many recent college grads. But a new study shows it remains California’s top destination for graduates looking to start a career.
San Francisco was just named the fourth-best large city for college graduates in the nation — and the first in California — by CoworkingCafe. It has the highest percentage of residents with a Bachelor of Arts degree (72%). The city also ranks #1 for median income among BA holders over the age of 25 ($106,493).
Atlanta, Georgia ranked #1 nationwide among large cities, followed by Washington, D.C. and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
CoworkingCafe analyzed a total of 290 cities for this report. It split the results into three categories: large cities, mid-sized cities, and small cities.
These were the top 5 cities for college grads in California for each category, with national rankings in parentheses:
| Large Cities | Mid-Sized Cities | Small Cities |
| 1. San Francisco (#4) | 1. Sunnyvale (#2) | 1. Santa Clara (#3) |
| 2. San Jose (#19) | 2. Irvine (#47) | 2. Milpitas (#5) |
| 3. San Diego (#26) | 3. Roseville (#59) | 3. Torrance (#25) |
| 4. Sacramento (#40) | 4. Glendale (#71) | 4. Pasadena (#32) |
| 5. Oakland (#43) | 5. Huntington Beach (#72) | 5. Redding (#56) |
See the full list and methodology here.
List and data were compiled by CoworkingCafe and do not reflect statistics on all cities.