RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has become one of the top places for companies hiring recent college graduates.

What You Need To Know

  • ADP Research shows that Raleigh and Charlotte both rank highly when it comes to employing new college grads

  • The study looked at wages, hiring and affordability

  • Raleigh is ranked the best city for recent college grads to get a job and Charlotte is ranked fifth

  • ADP Research said employment of recent graduates has gone up steadily since the pandemic

A new study by ADP Research Institute, a payroll services company, shows that Raleigh and Charlotte both rank highly when it comes to employing new grads.

It looked at data representing more than four million people aged 20 to 29 at more than 27,000 U.S. employers from January 2019 through April 2024. When it comes to the combination of wages, hiring and affordability, it found Raleigh is ranked the best city for recent college grads to get a job, and Charlotte is ranked fifth.

ADP Research mentions Raleigh being near the Research Triangle, and how it’s the largest research park in the United States with headquarters for more than 300 companies, adding that many of those businesses are in the science and technology fields.

UNC Health Rex said during the past three years, it has hired about 150 new graduate nurses each year.

One of those graduates who is now employed is Maria Hernandez. She started working at the N.C. Heart and Vascular Hospital in February after graduating from Wake Tech Community College last December.

Hernandez said growing up she always knew she wanted to help others, and that vision became even more clear when her grandfather had open-heart surgery at this hospital.

“As nursing students, we always talk to each other about, 'where are you applying, you know what they are offering' type of thing?” Hernandez said. “Whenever I was job searching, I did look all over the area. I did look at WakeMed, UNC, a little bit further out in Fayetteville. Mainly I chose this hospital just because everything it has to offer. I felt comfortable being here as a patient-family member.”

When looking at the data, Hernandez said she understands why college grads would want to find a job in Raleigh and Charlotte.

“I think here in Raleigh the opportunities are constantly growing. You have a little bit of everything so I feel like that's what’s most of the time new grads are looking for, just somewhere stable where you know they have a job guarantee,” Hernandez said. “I just think it’s filled with so much opportunity, housing development, job opportunities. I feel like UNC Rex in Raleigh, it gives a lot to its new graduate nurses, a lot of opportunity for growth.”

ADP Research said employment of recent graduates has gone up steadily since the pandemic, but hiring rates have decreased since their 2022 peak.