John Maniaci/ GREATER MADISON CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
Metro population: 568,593
Residents ages 20-29: 17.3%
Cost-of-living score: 108.1
Monthly rent: $804
Starting salary: $41,200
Average paychecks for young adults aren't anything to brag about, but Madison does pride itself on other unparalleled pros:
steady job growth, a perennially low unemployment rate and a huge population of twentysomethings. The Wisconsin capital has added more than 24,500 jobs since 2000, and state officials recently announced plans to add 25,000 more bioscience jobs in the next five years. Madison is also known for its quirky, progressive and hyper-literate urban culture. Satirical stalwart The Onion got its start here in 1988, and the University of Wisconsin, a host of music venues and one of the country's largest farmers' markets call Madison home.
Top selling point: Equal parts idiosyncratic, ascendant and affordable
Biggest drawback: Nearly four feet of snow every winter