Alexandria Ranked Among Best Cities For College Graduates In New Survey

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Alexandria was ranked second in its class among top cities for graduates in 2026, according to a new survey.

Coworking Cafe recently ranked the top cities for 2026 graduates, considering jobs, income and liveability. Among midsize cities (cities with populations of 150,000 to 400,000), Alexandria was number 2, climbing 4 places since their last ranking, largely due to a big boost in median income.

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According to the survey, driving Alexandria’s ranking is a $7,600 jump in the median income, which is now nearly $94,000, and a 5-point increase in degree attainment, to 62 percent. Alexandria also has a 7.5 percent graduate job share, meaning the share of local jobs that are a good fit for new graduates, generally requiring a degree, involving a solid amount of skill or knowledge, but needing no more than one year of experience. It also performed well on another metric: 71 percent of its population has employer-based health insurance coverage.

The city offers a variety of programs designed to attract graduates, including summer internships, grants for tech startups and other incentive programs.

Alexandria is consistently ranked in the top 5 of Conde Nast’s list of America’s best small cities.

Alexandria’s population grew steadily from 2013 to 2020, but has declined slightly since.

Top of the list of midsize cities for graduates was Arlington, VA. The survey named Atlanta, GA, as the best large city for college graduates and Cambridge, MA, as the best small city.

Read more about Alexandria’s efforts to attract businesses here.

Read about which Virginia universities were ranked among the world's best here.