Eligible cities
460
snapshot universe
Ocity city-database snapshot · 2026-07-14
Graduate city choices, made inspectable
An editorial screening index across 460 eligible city rows. Compare five transparent city-level proxies—not job openings, graduate salaries, personal affordability or career outcomes.
Top display score
76/100
rounded editorial composite
Avg cost index
102.68
average city row
Avg crime reference
454/100k
average city row
Five transparent components
The score is an editorial weighted heuristic. Raw composite score orders rows; city slug breaks ties; the displayed score rounds the raw composite.
30%
Affordability
City cost-index proxy
25%
Household-income proxy
Not graduate salary
20%
Violent-crime reference
Not full safety assessment
15%
1BR rent / income ratio
Not observed graduate burden
10%
City-scale proxy
Population, not job opportunity
Top 25 screening rows
Eligible cities have population above 80,000, positive cost/crime/rent fields and household income above $30,000.
| # / City | Score | Household income | Cost index | Crime ref. | 1BR ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Virginia Beach, VA | 76 | $91,141 | 97.40 | 178/100k | 16.95% |
| #2 Overland Park, KS | 74 | $97,176 | 93.30 | 178/100k | 10.36% |
| #3 Fishers, IN | 74 | $121,382 | 94.60 | 89/100k | 8.88% |
| #4 Cary, NC | 74 | $129,607 | 98.00 | 89/100k | 10.89% |
| #5 Carmel, IN | 74 | $143,676 | 94.60 | 89/100k | 9.56% |
| #6 Olathe, KS | 73 | $105,915 | 93.30 | 189/100k | 9.51% |
| #7 Edmond, OK | 73 | $98,524 | 91.00 | 189/100k | 9.41% |
| #8 Frisco, TX | 73 | $141,129 | 103.30 | 123/100k | 10.98% |
| #9 Henderson, NV | 73 | $82,476 | 97.40 | 189/100k | 20.03% |
| #10 Broken Arrow, OK | 73 | $84,374 | 89.50 | 234/100k | 10.81% |
| #11 Meridian, ID | 72 | $100,307 | 93.40 | 178/100k | 12.85% |
| #12 Gilbert, AZ | 72 | $122,445 | 105.50 | 123/100k | 13.96% |
| #13 Chesapeake, VA | 72 | $92,633 | 97.40 | 189/100k | 16.67% |
| #14 Plano, TX | 72 | $108,594 | 103.30 | 178/100k | 14.27% |
| #15 Naperville, IL | 72 | $152,181 | 102.60 | 89/100k | 11.88% |
| #16 Rochester, MN | 72 | $85,240 | 93.10 | 189/100k | 13.05% |
| #17 Allen, TX | 71 | $126,549 | 103.30 | 134/100k | 7.41% |
| #18 Lee's Summit, MO | 71 | $100,625 | 93.30 | 234/100k | 10.57% |
| #19 Austin, TX | 71 | $91,501 | 97.60 | 400/100k | 21.64% |
| #20 Raleigh, NC | 71 | $86,309 | 98.00 | 398/100k | 20.38% |
| #21 Sugar Land, TX | 71 | $133,144 | 100.20 | 145/100k | 10.23% |
| #22 Boise City, ID | 71 | $79,977 | 93.40 | 289/100k | 17.09% |
| #23 McKinney, TX | 71 | $116,654 | 103.30 | 178/100k | 13.28% |
| #24 League City, TX | 70 | $118,475 | 100.20 | 156/100k | 12.68% |
| #25 Colorado Springs, CO | 70 | $83,215 | 97.40 | 456/100k | 20.30% |
Next 25 snapshot rows
#26 · AZ
Chandler
70/100
#27 · UT
Orem
70/100
#28 · UT
Lehi
70/100
#29 · UT
Sandy
70/100
#30 · SC
Mount Pleasant
70/100
#31 · TX
Pearland
70/100
#32 · NE
Omaha
69/100
#33 · AZ
Scottsdale
69/100
#34 · UT
South Jordan
69/100
#35 · UT
West Jordan
69/100
#36 · AZ
Mesa
69/100
#37 · UT
Layton
69/100
#38 · TX
Round Rock
69/100
#39 · CA
Irvine
69/100
#40 · CA
Bakersfield
68/100
#41 · AZ
Peoria
68/100
#42 · NE
Lincoln
68/100
#43 · VA
Suffolk
68/100
#44 · RI
Cranston
68/100
#45 · CO
Fort Collins
68/100
#46 · RI
Warwick
68/100
#47 · MA
Newton
67/100
#48 · TX
Irving
67/100
#49 · TX
Carrollton
67/100
#50 · NH
Nashua
67/100
Methodology and limits
What this ranks. Ocity city database; population > 80,000, median household income > $30,000, positive cost index, violent-crime reference and 1BR rent. Components are editorial proxies and the score is not a causal model or universal recommendation.
What it does not measure. Population is not job openings or employer depth; household income is not graduate pay; the rent ratio is not an observed graduate burden; violent crime is not a complete safety assessment.
Database fields can represent different source years. This index does not establish job-market access, salary, career success, taxes, remote-work suitability, personal affordability, health, safety outcomes or relocation results.