Minneapolis is one of the nation's top 15 cities for new college graduates, according to a new joint study by Apartments.com and CareerBuilder.com.

Minnesota's largest city ranked fourth in the nation, following Washington D.C., New York, and Boston. It scored better than Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Denver due to a host of factors.

At 5.6 percent, Minneapolis had the second-lowest unemployment rate of the 15 cities on the list. It also offered low rents, averaging $974 for a one bedroom apartment, compared to $1,1814 in Boston or $1,789 in New York. And Minneapolis boasted an average starting salary of $38,500 a year, which was close to the $40,000 starting salary in New York.

Survey organizers examined the availability of entry level jobs in each city and Minneapolis scored well. Job inventory was given the most weight in the study because there are "more than 1 million bachelor's degrees conferred each year" which means new grads must decide where to work and where live, organizers said.

Another consideration that helped Minneapolis place well on the list was its diversity of industry. Minneapolis is a leader in healthcare, manufacturing, IT and other forms of commerce, survey organizers said.