By Katie Lobosco

WASHINGTON — There should be a lot more job openings for the college class of 2018, but starting salaries won’t be much higher than last year.

Graduates with a bachelor’s degree can expect to earn an average of $50,390 annually in their first jobs, according to a new survey by consulting firm Korn Ferry, little changed from the previous year.

“With the 2018 US inflation rate hovering just over 2%, real wages for this year’s grads are virtually flat,” said Maryam Morse, Korn Ferry Senior Client Partner.

But it should be easier to find a job than in previous years. The unemployment rate recently dropped below 4% for the first time since 2000.

Pay will vary by industry. Those in science, technology, engineering and math-related fields earn significantly more than average.

For example, the survey found that average pay for entry-level software developers is $67,236, while customer service reps start at just $35,360. It analyzed salaries across 310,000 entry-level positions from about 1,000 organizations across the country.

Another big variable is where you live. Here are the average starting salaries in 10 major US cities.

San Francisco $63,995

New York $60,972

Boston $59,460

Los Angeles $56,386

Chicago $55,177

Philadelphia $54,169

Minneapolis $53,766

Denver $53,010

Dallas $50,743

Atlanta $49,584

The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. (Photo: Pixabay/CC0 Creative Commons)