Ocean City Ranked a Best Place for New College Grads to Live

A new study says one of the best places in America for new college graduates to live is right here in South Jersey.

Ocean City Ranked as a Best Place for New College Graduates

The Ocean City metro area ranks sixth-best out of 370 metro areas based on metrics for the job market, costs, and social aspects in America, according to a new Smart Asset study.

The study researched the aspects of life that will be important to new grads and South Jersey ranked top ten. Not too shabby.

The study took into account income for bachelor's degree holders, the population between the ages of 20 and 29, along with the number of restaurants and bars in the area.

 Ocean City is Affordable for New College Graduates?

Let's get this question out of the way right up front. There is a big difference between Ocean City and the "Ocean City metro area".

The city of Ocean City is situated on less than 5 square miles with a population of 11,300 people.

Based on census data, the Ocean City metro area is 251 square miles with a population of 95,634.

New Jersey is split into seven statistical areas and the Ocean City metro area is a subset of one that includes all of Cape May County.

The average college graduate would probably have a hard time affording a home in Ocean City but should fare better in the Ocean City metro area if you believe this survey.

Ocean City is the Best Place for Grads Looking for Fun

The survey says Ocean City is the nation's best place for college grads looking for things to do.

The Ocean City, NJ metro has the most restaurants and bars per capita and is second only to Los Angeles when it comes to entertainment venues.

The Top Five Places for Graduates

Although Ocean City did well in this survey, it didn't break into the top five. Having been to many of the top five in the survey, I would still take Ocean City, but that's just my preference.

The top five places for a new college graduate to live according to Smart Asset are:

1 - Oshkosh-Neenah, Wisconsin

2 - Lawrence, Kansas

3 - College Station-Bryan, Texas

4 - Grand Forks in North Dakota/East Grand Forks in Minnesota

5 - Eau Claire, Wisconsin