Dare we say it? Los Angeles is overpopulated, at least on paper. Sure, we have plenty of room. But there's not enough housing here, and L.A. is the least affordable rental market in the nation, according to a 2014 UCLA study.

So this might come as good news for locals: A new report by personal finance website WalletHub concludes that Los Angeles is a fairly lousy place for young people looking to start their careers. 

“Employment opportunities vary significantly based on simple geography,” the site says.

Maybe this will stop all the screenwriting hopefuls from coming here? Unlikely.

WalletHub says it measured a number of factors in 150 of the nation's most populous cities to come up with its ranking of “2015’s Best & Worst Cities to Start a Career.”

Those metrics include workforce diversity, median annual income, number of leisure establishments and quality of life.

Los Angeles ranked a sad 98th overall. Long Beach was 93rd.

But a spokeswoman for WalletHub noted that “the number of arts, leisure and recreation establishments per 100,000 inhabitants is seven times higher in Los Angeles than in Laredo, Texas.”

In fact, we ranked first in per capita leisure establishments. Cool. There are plenty of places to play in L.A. if you have a job, which you won't if you come here.

Credit: WalletHub

Credit: WalletHub

The contrasts on this list are eye-opening. The WalletHub rep notes that the number of folks with a college degree in sterile Irvine is six times higher than in nearby Santa Ana.

L.A., by the way, ranked 98th for professional opportunities and 101st for quality of life, according to the site. This despite our stellar leisure establishments.

Of course we ranked near the bottom, 147th, when it comes to “lowest housing affordability,” WalletHub found. That beat New York (but not Newark, Oakland and last-place Honolulu).

If you want champion-level job opportunities, Plano, Texas, is the place for you. Yeah, we know: There's no way you're going there.

Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Dennis Romero on Twitter at @dennisjromero. Follow L.A. Weekly News on Twitter at @laweeklynews.

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