Latest news with #2024AustinCityLimitsMusicFestival
The Hill
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Top 10 cities for recent college grads in 2025
The job market is tough for recent college grads, but cities like Austin, Texas and Raleigh, N.C., still offer a promising mix of affordability and opportunity, a new report shows. analyzed more than 300 cities and towns to find the most 'grad-friendly' rental markets in 2025, weighing factors like housing affordability, rental availability and job opportunities. Austin topped the list for the second year in a row thanks to its low rent-to-income ratio (18.9 percent) and high share of jobs (29.4 percent) that require a bachelor's degree but no prior experience. Raleigh and Overland Park, Kan., ranked second and third, followed by Minneapolis and St. Louis. 'These markets aren't just affordable areas with relatively more abundant rental options, they're full of energy, opportunity, and a sense of community, everything a recent grad could want,' Danielle Hale, chief economist at said in a statement. On average, graduates in the top 10 markets spend just 21.5 percent of their income on rent, well below the commonly accepted 30 percent affordability benchmark. This year's top cities also have a lower average unemployment rate (3.8 percent) compared to the 50 largest metros (4.1 percent). Cost of living and job opportunities will likely be top priorities for the Class of 2025, which is entering the rockiest job market since 2021. Here's top 10 list for 2025 along with some of the key metrics the report considered. Atmosphere during weekend one, day one of the 2024 Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park on Oct. 4, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by) Median Rent: $1,504 Rent-to-Income Ratio: 18.9 percent Rental Vacancy Rate: 8.2 percent College Grad Friendly Occupations: 29.4 percent Forecasted unemployment rate: 3.6 percent Raleigh's downtown skyline is seen from The Dillion's ninth floor lobby terrace open to the public January 02, 2019 in Raleigh, NC. The convention center's Shimmer Wall is seen at the far right. (Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Median Rent: $1,524 Rent-to-Income Ratio: 20.0 percent Rental Vacancy Rate: 9.0 percent College Grad Friendly Occupations: 30.4 percent Forecasted unemployment rate: 3.3 percent Kansas, Overland Park, Museum at Prairiefire. (Photo by: Bernard P. Friel/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Median Rent: $1,351 Rent-to-Income Ratio: 20.6 percent Rental Vacancy Rate: 9.2 percent College Grad Friendly Occupations: 25.5 percent Forecasted unemployment rate: 4.2 percent Minneapolis skyline showing the Mississippi river and U.S. Bank Stadium in the fall. (Photo by: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Median Rent: $1,528 Rent-to-Income Ratio: 19.7 percent Rental Vacancy Rate: 5.2 percent College Grad Friendly Occupations: 27.3 percent Forecasted unemployment rate: 3.7 percent A general view of the St Louis Gateway Arch, skyline and the Budweiser sign during the fifth inning between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins at Busch Stadium on July 18, 2023, in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image) Median Rent: $1,335 Rent-to-Income Ratio: 20.8 percent Rental Vacancy Rate: 8.0 percent College Grad Friendly Occupations: 25.1 percent Forecasted unemployment rate: 4.0 percent Sunset view on James River of historic southern Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Median Rent: $1,502 Rent-to-Income Ratio: 23.2 percent Rental Vacancy Rate: 8.2 percent College Grad Friendly Occupations: 25.3 percent Forecasted unemployment rate: 3.3 percent The skyline of Pittsburgh is framed by couple walking through a park on the Northside on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) Median Rent: $1,461 Rent-to-Income Ratio: 22.3 percent Rental Vacancy Rate: 8.7 percent College Grad Friendly Occupations: 24.3 percent Forecasted unemployment rate: 4.1 percent People ride electric scooters through the old town area on Tuesday November 19, 2024, in Scottsdale, Ariz.. Maricopa County continues to be one of the fastest growing areas in the country. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Median Rent: $1,530 Rent-to-Income Ratio: 22.5 percent Rental Vacancy Rate: 7.9 percent College Grad Friendly Occupations: 23.0 percent Forecasted unemployment rate: 3.7 percent The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas (Credit: University of Texas at Dallas) Median Rent: $1,472 Rent-to-Income Ratio: 22.4 percent Rental Vacancy Rate: 8.9 percent College Grad Friendly Occupations: 24.4 percent Forecasted unemployment rate: 4.0 percent View of Atlanta Skyline (Getty Images) Median Rent: $1,604 Rent-to-Income Ratio: 24.1 percent Rental Vacancy Rate: 9.3 percent College Grad Friendly Occupations: 24.7 percent Forecasted unemployment rate: 4.1 percent For more on methodology, read here.
Forbes
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Chappell Roan Hits The Top 10 With A Risky (And Brilliant) Genre Pivot
Chapel Roan earns her highest debut on the Hot 100 as 'The Giver' opens at No. 5 and simultaneously ... More tops the Hot Country Songs chart in a bold genre shift. AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 13: Chappell Roan performs onstage during weekend two, day three of the 2024 Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park on October 13, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by) Chappell Roan is back in the top 10 on the Hot 100, and she's returned at the height of her fame… With a track that sounds like nothing else in her discography. The singer has already established herself as a major pop talent, and now, as she begins what looks to be the next chapter of her career, she's taking bold risks — and they're clearly paying off. Roan's new single "The Giver" arrives at No. 5 on the Hot 100 this week. That's not just a strong start, it's her highest debut ever on the ranking of the most-consumed songs in the U.S. According to Billboard, "The Giver" racked up 22.3 million streams in its first week on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. It also sold 6,000 copies and reached 2.2 million people via radio. What's particularly interesting is that those radio plays are coming from stations across two different genres. That is a sign that Roan's latest release is resonating in multiple spaces, and that her move from one style to another may have been a smart move. "The Giver" becomes Roan's third top 10 hit on the Hot 100 as it debuts. It comes close to matching the No. 4 peak of her breakout smash "Good Luck, Babe!," which still stands as her highest-charting success. Just a few weeks ago, her earlier single "Pink Pony Club" also broke into the region, several years after it was first released. That track is still holding on this frame, though it slides several spaces to No. 9 after climbing to No. 7. Anyone familiar with Roan's work will immediately notice that "The Giver" sounds nothing like the singles that first turned her into a star. The track leans away from pure pop and toward country, though it might be more accurate to describe it as country pop. It's a notable shift, especially for someone who's still carving out their space in the industry. Most artists play it safe early on, sticking close to the style that made them famous, since it's usually what fans want more of…but Roan is already changing course. She's not the only current-day musical star making that pivot. Beyoncé grabbed headlines when she announced Cowboy Carter, her country album that dropped last year and became hugely successful. Lady Gaga tried something similar with Joanne, and Sabrina Carpenter recently remixed her single "Please Please Please" as a duet with Dolly Parton. 'The Giver' opens at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, earning Roan her first appearance on that tally. That lofty debut shows that even though she's a newcomer to the genre, her entry is being taken seriously – at least early on. Country fans have seemingly embraced the track, though her performance may be tied solely to already-existing fans consuming the cut in large enough numbers to make it an undeniable hit on those lists. How it performs at country radio will be another test.
