College Graduates Flock to Area

The Washington area is attracting recent college graduates because the chances of landing a job remain high despite the economic downturn, experts said.

The area is "adding jobs in [service-providing industries] and in health care and in the federal sector," said George Mason University economist Stephen Fuller. "And the jobs we're losing in the region," such as construction and retail sales, "tend not to be college graduate-type jobs."

University of Toronto business professor Richard Florida recently named the District the best location in the United States for recent college graduates. He based the ranking on cost of living and jobs available.

Nationally, unemployment for 25- to 29-year-olds reached 11 percent in January, the highest since 1983, according to the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas. It said unemployment for 20- to 24-year-olds was 13.9 percent in March.

Overall, nationwide unemployment is about 9 percent. In the Washington area, it is about 6 percent.