Utah tops nation for new college graduates during COVID economy

Utah is ranked No. 1 among states for new college graduates looking to start their career during a COVID economy, according to Business.org.

The analysis considered median rent as a percentage of household income, the percentage of jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher, employment growth projection from 2019-2021 in percentage points, the 2018 unemployment rate for those ages 25-29, and the unemployment rate change from April to July 2020 in percentage points.

Utah has the highest employment growth projection for 2019-2021 and the third-lowest unemployment rate, making it the No. 1 state for new grads in 2020.

Utah was followed, in order, by the District of Columbia, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arizona, Washington, Colorado, Nebraska, Montana and Vermont. The worst states for grads are, in order, Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, Connecticut, New Mexico, Florida, Hawaii, Delaware, Maine and California.

Nationally, 28 percent of college graduates are rethinking their career paths because of COVID-19, according to the study.

Details of the analysis are at https://www.business.org/hr/best-states-for-new-grads/.