COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Columbus is among the top 10 best cities to start a career in the United States, according to a recent study. Elevate Leadership, a training platform for managers, compared America’s 50 largest cities across 10 metrics including job market strength, commute times, work-life balance and housing costs. The company drew data from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. ‘More important than ever’ to repeal Ohio’s same-sex marriage ban, lawmakers say The analysis ranked Columbus as the ninth-best city in the country to start a career. The city had the fifth-shortest commute time at 23.1 minutes and ranked seventh for work-life balance, a metric based on factors such as the number of hours in the average work week, local entertainment, and walkability.  Taking the No. 1 spot was Minneapolis, which ranked second in work-life balance and had the third-lowest unemployment rate for young adults at 7%.  Minneapolis was followed by Austin, Texas (No. 2); Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 3); Seattle (No. 4); Cincinnati (No. 5); Phoenix (No. 6); Albuquerque, New Mexico (No. 7); Washington (No. 8); and Colorado Springs, Colorado (No. 10).  Mushrooms, mold found growing in Ohio State University dormitory The worst cities to start a career according to the study are Fresno, California; Miami; El Paso, Texas; Jacksonville, Florida; Louisville, Kentucky; Tampa, Florida; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee; Chicago; and Memphis, Tennessee.