Phoenix ranks 2nd for college grads

It’s the season when college graduates leave campus in search of employment, but some cities are better than others to start a career.

This week, Apartments.com and CareerRookie.com identified the top 10 cities for recent college graduates, based on the places with the highest concentration of young adults between the ages of 20 and 24, the highest inventory of jobs that require less than one year of experience, and the average cost of rent for a one-bedroom apartment.

Here’s their list:

1. Atlanta
2. Phoenix
3. Denver
4. Dallas
5. Boston
6. Philadelphia
7. New York
8. Cincinnati
9. Baltimore
10. Los Angeles

Of course, most grads are probably just happy to land a job — regardless of where it’s located. There are some signs that the job market for new graduates is rebounding; 24.4% of 2010 graduates who have applied for a job have one waiting for them after graduation, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Last year at this time, 19.7% of 2009 graduates who applied for a job could say the same.

– Amy Hoak , Real Estate writer for MarketWatch