In a study analyzing 1.6 million graduate counts and residing markets, JLL’s Talent Hubs 2024 Report identifies the top cities where 2024 graduates will start their careers and explores how these location decisions offer insight into the health and growth of office markets across the United States.
The East Coast continued to capture the greatest regional share of graduates, with New York remaining the number one market for graduates to establish their careers, accounting for a 10.8 percent share of total 2024 graduates, followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston. With these major metropolitan areas serving as hubs for office-using industries like technology and finance, job availability for college graduates remains robust in these areas and continues to attract highly skilled talent. In fact, 44 percent of 2024 graduates — and 77 percent of elite graduates (those graduating from top 20 universities) — are concentrated in the top 10 major metro market
