The 15 best American cities for young college grads

As the most recent crop of college seniors have been awarded their diplomas, the next important decision many will make is where they should move now that they've graduated.

A ranking of the best major metropolitan areas from the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) may help students having trouble making the call.

AIER calculated its list using nine economic, demographic, and quality-of-life factors. AIER defines major metropolitan cities as having over 2.5 million residents.

The report states that the most important factor in determining where recent graduates should relocate is the prevalence of other young recent grads.

"The location you choose to go to college determines where you will likely spend the next four years of your life, and possibly where you will start your career," Amanda Knarr, program coordinator at AIER, said in a press release. "Our ranking reflects the characteristics that make cities attractive to the average college student."

In addition to the overall ranking, college-student population, and overall city population, we also included each city's highest-scoring metric and rank.

Scroll through to find out the 15 best American cities for young college grads.