New grads could be finding more work in Pittsburgh
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Illustration: Maura Kearns/Axios
Pittsburgh jumped into the top 20 for regions where new graduates can find work last year, according to a new study.
Why it matters: The region has long struggled with "brain drain" (the inability to retain educated young professionals) despite being home to several major universities.
By the numbers: Pittsburgh ranked in the 65th percentile in payroll processor ADP's ranking of 20-something hiring rates, wages and affordability.
- That's the 19th-best region among the 53 studied by ADP.
- Pittsburgh jumped from the 31st percentile in 2024 to the 65th last year, one of the best improvements in the nation.
Zoom in: The region boasts a strong hiring rate for people in their 20s at 2.7%.
- Its annual wage estimate for those workers is $46,284, on the lower end of the spectrum. But its affordability ranking outweighs the low wages.
- Pittsburgh had the eighth-best affordability ranking in the study, tied with San Antonio, and over 5% higher than the national average.
The fine print: ADP anonymized payroll data of over 409,000 people ages 20–29 at more than 20,000 U.S. employers, spanning January 2025 through January 2026 for its study.
State of play: After several years of losing more residents than it gained from other regions within the U.S. (net domestic migration), the Pittsburgh region actually saw a positive net domestic migration of 1,659 residents between 2024 and 2025.
- Real estate agents and local business owners told Axios last year they were noticing new residents who had no previous ties to Pittsburgh moving into the region.
Context: For years, Pittsburgh had heavily relied on so-called boomerangs, or natives who moved away for a time and then returned, to keep its population from dipping dramatically.
Zoom out: While Pittsburgh is ascending, it's still being surpassed by several cities, most notably Birmingham, Alabama; Tampa Bay, Florida; San Jose, California; and Columbus, Ohio, according to ADP.
- These metros have stronger wages and hiring rates than Pittsburgh.
Flashback: Brain drain has historically been such a large concern in Pittsburgh that in the early 2000s, regional leaders created "Border Guard Bob," a fictional character to use in advertisements encouraging young graduates to stay in Pittsburgh instead of decamping for bigger cities.
The bottom line: The region is still losing population overall, even though the city is showing some signs of growth.