Naperville among the top cities nationwide for recent college graduates

The City of Naperville—home to North Central College—has been named among the “Top 10 Best Cities for New College Grads,” reports a study by Livability.com, which ranks cities where jobs are available and recent college graduates want to live.
 
The study ranked Naperville No. 9 out of 10 cities nationwide, with Cambridge, Mass., taking the top spot in 2014. The list of the 10 cities ranked in the study is available at livability.com.
 
“Today’s college students understand how much location matters,” says Martin Sauer, North Central College vice president for enrollment management and athletics. “Being part of a campus community in the heart of Naperville provides our students with a wealth of opportunities and benefits that few colleges can match. As graduates, countless North Central alumni have found Naperville not only a great place to launch their career but a great place to call home.”  

The criteria for ranking Naperville and other cities included factors such as the number of 25- to 34-year-olds living in the city, unemployment rate, rental vacancies and costs, public transportation options, nonservice industry jobs, and number of recreational activities, bars and restaurants that cater to a younger demographic.

The study also took into account the types of jobs and top-hiring industries, which, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), are educational services, health care and social assistance, government, and professional, scientific and technical services.

According to NACE, starting salaries for recent college graduates have risen over the last two years, with a 2.9 percent increase for humanities and social sciences graduates and a 2.3 percent bump for business majors. That’s good news for 2014 graduates of North Central College—an independent, comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences. North Central is committed to academic excellence, a climate that emphasizes leadership, ethics, values and service, a curriculum that balances job-related knowledge with a liberal arts foundation and a caring environment with small classes.

The College’s campus is situated on 65 beautiful residential acres in the heart of Naperville’s vibrant small-town culture, with Chicago’s big-city culture just 30 minutes away by train. For the past three years, Naperville has been named in the top five Best Places to Live by Money Magazine and previously was named one of the nation’s top cities to raise a family.

Livability.com is a product of Journal Communications, Inc. that explores what makes small to mid-sized cities great places to live, work and visit. Issues examined include topics related to livability such as walkability, cultural amenities, transportation, urban planning and sustainability through exclusive research and discussions on our blog.