DC is where you want to be, at least if you’re a young professional. Every company maintains some presence in the DC metro. It has emerged as a startup and tech epicenter. Between the surplus of bars, restaurants, museums, and theaters, it’s hard to find a better nightlife or arts scene outside of New York or LA than DC. Turns out, it is a lucrative region to work as an MBA too. 13 programs reported starting bases of $120K or more with the Class of 2017. That group was led, pay-wise, by Stanford GSB, whose graduates averaged $154,125 in base. That said, that number was based on the earnings of four students. Harvard Business School grads are a better gauge of the opportunities in DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, with 2017 grads coming up with $141,172 – far better than its $134.041 average in the northeast. Wharton School ($136,714) and Northwestern Kellogg ($135,628) also scored higher pay in the Mid-Atlantic region than the school’s average elsewhere. Two Midwestern business schools – Ohio State Fisher and Washington University Olin – experienced pay increases of $27,513 and $26,975 over the past two years (just a shade behind Stanford, whose 2017 Class mustered a $28,125 improvement).