The 25 Best U.S. Cities for Jobs in 2015

Job seekers and new graduates have a new road map to the U.S. cities with the best employment climates. Career site Glassdoor has released its annual 25 Best Cities for Jobs, compiled using survey data on job satisfaction, the number of available jobs, and cost of living (including home prices) in the nation's 50 largest metro areas. Glassdoor based its list on the number of available jobs relative to each city's population, base salaries and job satisfaction ratings reported by Glassdoor users, and median home values from Zillow March data.

The winner this year is Raleigh, N.C., where more than 24,000 jobs are open, the median base salary is just over $50,000, and the median home value is $198,400. The rest of the top five is Kansas City, Mo., buoyed by lots of job openings and a low median home price; Oklahoma City; Austin, Texas; and Seattle.

Job hunters looking for the ideal hometown should study the results carefully. Even among the top five cities, there's significant variation in available jobs, base salaries, and home prices. For example, fifth-ranked Seattle offers the most job openings (more than 69,000) and the highest median base salary ($70,000) but also the highest median home value at $344,700, more than $100,000 higher than the median home value in Austin, which has the second-costliest homes among the top five.

Texas is the state with the most Best Cities for JobsFour Texas cities made this year's list. In addition to fourth-ranked Austin, San Antonio placed ninth, with a median base salary 20% lower than Austin but homes that are $78,000 less costly on average. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex ranks 14th, with more than 100,000 available jobs. Houston ranks 21stwith job openings outpacing Seattle, a median base salary topping Austin's, and median home values identical to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Other states with more than one Best CitySan Jose, Calif., ranks seventhoverall. The tech hub earned solid ratings for job satisfaction among Glassdoor users and has the highest median base salary of all the cities in the list, at $99,000. San Jose also has the most expensive real estate, with a median home value of $863,800. San Francisco is the other California city on this year's list, with more than 94,000 job openings, median base pay of $70,000, and home values averaging $728,000.

Missouri also has two cities on this year's list. second-place Kansas City is joined by St. Louis at No. 11. Memphis placed 18thand Nashville ranks 25th, making Tennessee the other state with more than one city in the top 25.

The top 25 cities for jobs this year

1. Raleigh, NC -- Glassdoor Job Score: 4.1

Number of Job Openings: 24,146
Population: 1,242,974
Median Base Salary: $50,950
Median Home Value: $198,400
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

2. Kansas City, MO -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.9

Number of Job Openings: 28,786
Population: 2,071,133
Median Base Salary: $46,000
Median Home Value: $138,500
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

3. Oklahoma City, OK -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.9

Number of Job Openings: 16,759
Population: 1,336,767
Median Base Salary: $38,100
Median Home Value: $129,400
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

4. Austin, TX -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.9

Number of Job Openings: 33,198
Population: 1,943,299
Median Base Salary: $50,000
Median Home Value: $226,400
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

5. Seattle, WA -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.9

Number of Job Openings: 69,423
Population: 3,671,478
Median Base Salary: $70,000
Median Home Value: $344,700
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

6. Salt Lake City, UT -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.8

Number of Job Openings: 17,970
Population: 1,153,340
Median Base Salary: $44,000
Median Home Value: $224,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

7. San Jose, CA -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7

Number of Job Openings: 51,439
Population: 1,952,872
Median Base Salary: $99,000
Median Home Value: $863,800
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5

8. Louisville, KY -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7

Number of Job Openings: 16,295
Population: 1,269,702
Median Base Salary: $40,000
Median Home Value: $131,100
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

9. San Antonio, TX -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7

Number of Job Openings: 29,980
Population: 2,328,652
Median Base Salary: $40,000
Median Home Value: $147,600
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

10. Washington, D.C. -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7

Number of Job Openings: 116,770
Population: 6,033,737
Median Base Salary: $61,000
Median Home Value: $361,200
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

11. St. Louis, MO -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7

Number of Job Openings: 31,365
Population: 2,806,207
Median Base Salary: $45,000
Median Home Value: $133,200
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3

12. San Francisco, CA -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7

Number of Job Openings: 94,933
Population: 4,594,060
Median Base Salary: $70,000
Median Home Value: $728,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5

13. Columbus, OH -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.6

Number of Job Openings: 25,242
Population: 1,994,536
Median Base Salary: $43,000
Median Home Value: $146,700
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

14. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.6

Number of Job Openings: 102,311
Population: 6,954,330
Median Base Salary: $50,000
Median Home Value: $157,900
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

15. Boston, MA -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.6

Number of Job Openings: 86,565
Population: 4,732,161
Median Base Salary: $56,000
Median Home Value: $367,600
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4

16. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.6

Number of Job Openings: 48,231
Population: 3,495,176
Median Base Salary: $52,000
Median Home Value: $210,300
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

17. Atlanta, GA -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.5

Number of Job Openings: 69,642
Population: 5,614,323
Median Base Salary: $49,180
Median Home Value: $155,200
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

18. Memphis, TN -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.4

Number of Job Openings: 14,776
Population: 1,343,230
Median Base Salary: $42,000
Median Home Value: $107,000
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

19. Indianapolis, IN -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.3

Number of Job Openings: 23,863
Population: 1,971,274
Median Base Salary: $44,000
Median Home Value: $130,100
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

20. Chicago, IL -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.3

Number of Job Openings: 124,633
Population: 9,554,598
Median Base Salary: $50,000
Median Home Value: $186,900
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

21. Houston, TX -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.3

Number of Job Openings: 74,442
Population: 6,490,180
Median Base Salary: $52,000
Median Home Value: $157,900
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

22. Baltimore, MD -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.3

Number of Job Openings: 45,558
Population: 2,785,874
Median Base Salary: $46,000
Median Home Value: $244,100
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

23. Richmond, VA -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.2

Number of Job Openings: 17,933
Population: 1,260,029
Median Base Salary: $45,000
Median Home Value: $186,300
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

24. Pittsburgh, PA -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.1

Number of Job Openings: 29,456
Population: 2,355,968
Median Base Salary: $43,000
Median Home Value: $124,500
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.1

25. Nashville, TN -- Glassdoor Job Score: 3.1

Number of Job Openings: 27,850
Population: 1,792,649
Median Base Salary: $41,600
Median Home Value: $176,700
Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2

Sort cities by the criteria that matter mostGlassdoor has created an interactive chart that allows job seekers to sort and compare the top 25 cities as well as the 25 other major metro areas in the U.S. by job opportunities, employee satisfaction, and cost of living. Interestingly, job satisfaction ratings in the top 25 cities ranged from 3.1 to 3.5 out of a possible 5, so it's worth strongly considering other factors as well when choosing a city in which to build a career.

The article The 25 Best U.S. Cities for Jobs in 2015 originally appeared on Fool.com.

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