The 10 Happiest Cities For Recent College Grads

An estimated 1.6 million students will graduate with a bachelor's degree this year - and hundreds of thousands of them will flee to new cities to begin their professional journeys.

But, new research by CareerBliss shows that those grads will be far happier in some cities than others.

CareerBliss analyzed more than 25,000 independent reviews from employees with jobs that require less than two years of work experience to determine which cities have the greatest number of young professionals with high levels of career-related happiness.

Those who provided reviews were asked to evaluate 10 factors that affect workplace happiness, including their relationship with their boss and coworkers; compensation; growth opportunities; company culture; daily tasks; and control over the work they do on a daily basis.

They valued each factor on a five-point scale and those numbers were combined to find an average rating of overall employee happiness for each respondent. The scores were then sorted by location. CareerBliss took into account the average cost-of-living-adjusted salary, which they found by looking at the median pay for new grads in each city and the cost of living in each area, measured by the American Council For Community and Economic Research.

"We work with experts and millions of users to understand where grads are finding rewarding and fulfilling careers. And it is no surprise that the heart of Silicon Valley - San Jose - ranks No. 1," says Heidi Golledge, CEO and cofounder of CareerBliss. "Technology jobs in this region offer unique experiences for today's young grads, as well as incredible opportunities to learn and earn."

Here are the 10 best cities for new grads, in terms of overall career happiness in conjunction with the average cost-of-living-adjusted salary: