Atlanta ranks in top 15 best cities for new grads

Georgia needs more college graduates but a lack of money is derailing the higher education dreams of thousands of students. KENT D. JOHNSON/KDJOHNSON@AJC.COM

Georgia needs more college graduates but a lack of money is derailing the higher education dreams of thousands of students. KENT D. JOHNSON/KDJOHNSON@AJC.COM

Atlanta's bars — among other, more serious considerations — make it one of the top 15 best cities for new college graduates, according to the American Institute for Economic Research.

AIER analyzed the best metropolitan areas using nine metrics categorized into three sections: economic, demographic and quality of life.

The most important factor in the research, according to the report, was the prevalence of other young recent grads.

» RELATED: These are the highest-paying companies in Georgia right now

Atlanta comes in at No. 13 on the list; the city has a college-age population of 193,985 out of a total 2,801,285 residents.

As might be expected for a city with a high proportion of college students, Atlanta earned the No. 1 spot for bars and restaurants, which was one of the nine metrics used in the study.

Want to know how other cities fared? See the full list below.

15. Miami, FL

14. St. Louis, MO

13. Atlanta, GA

12. Baltimore, MD

11. San Diego, CA

10. Houston, TX

9. Dallas, TX

8. Chicago, IL

7. Los Angeles, CA

6. New York, NY

5. Seattle, WA

4. Minneapolis, MN

3. Washington D.C.

2. Boston, MA

1. San Francisco, CA