The Best and Worst States for Entry-Level Jobs

Starting your professional career can be exciting, but also intimidating. With thousands of graduates entering the workforce each year, competition for entry-level roles can be fierce. This is further fueled by a 29% drop in entry level positions since January 2024, according to a study by Randstad. 

Where you choose to start your career can make all the difference in how quickly you land a job, how much you earn, and how far your paycheck goes.

To help graduates and entry-level professionals make informed decisions, we analyzed job opportunities, cost of living, and adjusted median salaries across all 50 states. Our results give a clear picture of where your chances of landing that first role are higher, and where breaking into the job market might be a bit tougher.

What we did

To find the best and worst states for entry-level job seekers, we analyzed 33.431 LinkedIn job postings across all 50 states. By using a per capita view and accounting for living costs, we were able to see each state’s real earning potential, as well as the competitiveness of the job market, helping entry-level professionals discover not only where jobs exist, but where they can grow.

Key findings

• Wyoming offers the best combination of high job availability, low competition, and good salary-to-cost-of-living, followed by Vermont and North Dakota

• California has the most competitive job market for entry-level professionals, with only 1.8 job openings per 100.000 people

• Cost of living dramatically affects median salary value: Georgia becomes first after adjustment, while Hawaii ranks the worst.

Wyoming revealed as the best state for entry level professionals, while California ranked at the bottom

When looking at job opportunities, cost of living, and adjusted median salary, the state of Wyoming gives entry level professionals the best of both worlds. 

The job market is least competitive here, offering around 129 jobs per 100.000 people. Furthermore, the cost of living is lower than the national average, and the adjusted median salary stands at $52.163. Based on all these factors, Wyoming has a rating of 0.90 out of 1, making it the best state to start your professional career.

At the other end of the spectrum lies California, with an overall rating of 0.29. Besides having the most competitive job market in the US, with only 1.84 jobs per 100.000 people, it also ranks 3rd highest in cost of living, making the adjusted median salary stand at $36.982. 

Measuring job opportunities vs. competition

Most states had plenty of job openings available overall. However, when adjusting the number to each state’s population, the numbers changed, revealing not only how many jobs are available, but how competitive they are to land.

Toughest states for entry-level job seekers 

Looking at job availability per 100.000 people, the worst states to look for entry level positions are:

It’s no coincidence that these are the top five most populous states in the United States. Therefore, their low ranking does not necessarily mean a lack of job opportunity. In fact, they all had plenty of entry-level roles available, but when adjusted for their huge population, the number of openings per person drops dramatically, making the competition to get a job way tougher. 

Adding to the pressure, these states have some of the most well-known universities worldwide, and are among the top destinations for students. In fact, California, Texas and New York rank in the top five most desired states by international students. This increasing number of new graduates means a constant supply of job seekers, which keeps the job market highly competitive.

Best states to kickstart your career

With high job opportunities and low competition, the best states to start your career as a fresh graduate or entry-level professional are:

Besides being some of the least populous states in the U.S., they also have a high number of available entry-level positions. Therefore, the competition for these roles is much lower, making them ideal for graduates and entry-level candidates trying to break into the job market.

Adjusting for reality: salary vs. cost of living

A high salary does not translate to a high quality of life. For this research, the median salaries were adjusted based on the states’ cost of living index in order to give a better idea on what the entry-level salary is actually worth in each state.

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Best places to build financial stability on an entry level salary

Georgia ranks as the best state in terms of median salary for entry-level jobs. With a below average cost of living, Georgia has the adjusted salary of $65.717 - the highest among all the states. Following Georgia, the highest paying states for entry-level positions are Wisconsin, Indiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey.

Hardest states to get ahead financially

For entry-level professionals who are looking to save money, Hawaii might be one of the toughest places to make that happen. 

Although Hawaii’s median salary is not the lowest in the U.S., its extremely high cost of living takes away much of that income. After accounting for living costs, the real value of Hawaii’s median salary drops to only $24.484, less than half of the national median salary in 2025. 

Methodology

For this research, 33.431 LinkedIn job postings across all 50 states. To get a better picture of the job opportunities in each state, we adjusted the number of openings by each state’s population, giving us a per capita view. 

Furthermore, we compared median salaries to each state’s cost-of-living index to get an adjusted median salary, and get a better understanding of what the salaries are actually worth in each state. For example, although New Jersey had the highest median salary at $67.050, it also had an above average cost of living index, taking the real median salary to $58.508 and ranking 5th instead of 1st.

Key takeaways

Starting your career is about finding the right place to grow. Our research shows that the location you live in has a big impact on your chances of landing that first job, as well as how far your paycheck will actually take you.

Although some states offer better opportunities for job seekers, graduates and entry-level professionals might still struggle to land a good first job in such a competitive market. 

That is why TopResume’s Job Placement Service, #GetHiredNow is specifically designed to help graduates find the right opportunities faster, by giving them tailored resume support, expert interview coaching, and direct access to open roles.