Main Street Finance

Top Paying College Towns by Industry

By Kat

With graduation just under three months away, college seniors across the country are preparing to enter the workforce. They’re polishing their resumes, attending career fairs, and traveling to job interviews- all in eager anticipation of what’s to come.

But tucked beneath the excitement of finally earning the degree they’ve worked tirelessly for, lies an unsettled feeling- a feeling that stems from the all too familiar question: “What’s next?”

If you’re a college senior or a recent grad, then you know just how tricky a question this can be to answer. With tens of thousands of job openings across the country in your field of interest, it can be difficult to determine which are worth applying for. Or even where to start your job search.

You might also find it tempting to stay where you’re at, but according to a recent study on the best college towns for starting a career, moving might be the best move- no pun intended.

With that in mind, here are the top paying college towns by industry.

Tech

If you’re looking to work in the tech industry, the good news is you have a variety of towns to choose from. The only question is: which region of the country do you prefer? If you can handle the cold weather, you should consider starting your job hunt in Bedford, Massachusetts or Paramus, New Jersey. With an average salary of over $120,000, these are the top two college towns for tech careers.

But if you prefer milder weather, you could also look for jobs in San Jose, California where the average tech salary is nearly $112,000. Or, you could search for jobs in Fairfax, Virginia, where the average salary is just over $110,000

Healthcare

Hoping to work in healthcare? Mequon, Wisconsin might just be the best place to start your job hunt. Although Mequon may not have been on your radar before now, the average healthcare salary of $113,000 in this small Wisconsin town makes it worth considering.

But if you’re not sold on moving to Wisconsin just yet, there are plenty of other options such as Paramus, NJ, Stonybrook, NY, and Plymouth, NH. All of these cities have an average healthcare salary upwards of $100,000.

Finance

Graduating with a degree in finance? It looks like you should start your job search in the Northeast.

From Norwalk, Connecticut, where the average finance salary is over $115,000, to Lincroft, New Jersey, and Durham, New Hampshire where average salaries are about $104,000 and $101,000, respectively, the Northeast is indisputably the best region for finance grads.

Education

If you’re an education major then you know first hand just how low teaching salaries can be.

And even though no one really goes into teaching for the money, it’s still a good idea to apply for jobs in areas where you know you’ll be paid fairly- like Stonybrook, New York, for instance. With an average education salary of $80,000, Stonybrook is the top college town for education grads.

But if you’d rather not move to Stonybrook, Juneau, Alaska and La Plata, Maryland, where education salaries hover right around $60,000, are also towns worth checking out.