Olivia Franklin, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Sat, May 16, 2026 at 9:01 AM UTC
Florida cities rank in best and worst places to start a career in 2026
Port St. Lucie was named one of the worst places to start a career in 2026, according to a WalletHub study.
The free personal finance website compared 182 cities in the Unites States to find the best and worst places to start a career in 2026. Port St. Lucie was not ranked the worst city on the list, but it was ranked the lowest out of every Florida city on the list.
The website scored cities based on these criteria:
Professional opportunities, such as the availability of entry-level jobs or monthly average starting salary
Quality of life, such as housing affordability or the median annual income
Why is Port St. Lucie one of the worst Florida cities to start a career in?
The rankings range from 1 to 182, with 1 being the best.
Professional opportunities rank: 168
Quality of life rank: 178
% of population aged 25-34: 182
Best places to start a career in 2026
6. Charleston, South Carolina
7. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
10. Columbia, South Carolina
Worst places to start a career in 2026
174. Jackson, Mississippi
175. Shreveport, Louisiana
178. Chula Vista, California
179. Port St. Lucie, Florida
181. Bridgeport, Connecticut
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Port St. Lucie, Florida among worst places to start a career in 2026