Looking for a new job? These cities have the best career opportunities
Wall Street Journal senior editor Jon Hilsenrath discusses the Federal Reserve’s likely response to September jobs numbers.
With U.S. economic growth continuing for the longest time ever and unemployment recently hitting a 50-year low, it seems to be as good a time as any to be looking for a new job.
But the U.S. is a large country, and everyone doesn’t benefit equally from a growing economy. So can jobseekers improve their chances of getting a quality new gig by moving to a more promising area?
Volusion, an ecommerce service company, analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data to score cities based on factors like year-over-year employment growth and median wage growth, median annual wage, annual average unemployment rate, labor force participation rate, percentage of full-time workers and mean usual hours worked.
The analysis found that wages have gone up nationally after a Great Recession slump that lasted until 2013. But wages tended to be higher in large metropolitan areas, and they’re growing fastest in coastal tech hubs like San Francisco, Seattle and San Jose.
Similarly, some cities have lower unemployment rates than others, according to the analysis. While the national unemployment rate averaged 3.9 percent last year, some cities like Tucson, Cleveland and Phoenix had unemployment rates higher than 4 percent, while cities like San Jose, Boston and Nashville were closer to 2.5 percent.
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Ultimately, Volusion found that cities with the best prospects for jobseekers are spread across the country. Here are the top large metropolitan areas for career opportunities, according to Volusion:
10. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado
Snow covered Longs Peak, part of the Rocky Mountains stands tall in the background with green trees and the Downtown Denver skyscrapers as well as hotels, office buildings and apartment buildings filling the skyline.
9. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia, USA downtown city skyline.
8. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
Houston Texas aerial drone sunrise view cityscape skyline colorful morning downtown
7. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee
Skyline of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Arlington, Virginia - 24 July, 2017: The Liberty Tavern and the Clarendon Ballroom in the Arlington neighborhood of Clarendon on a summer evening.
5. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington
Seattle skyline panorama at sunset as seen from Kerry Park, Seattle, WA
4. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
On a nice sunny afternoon in a small town north of Austin, Texas - Round Rock, TX
3. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
Aerial View of Downtown Dallas in the Evening -Dallas, Texas, USA
2. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California
San Francisco - California, Alamo Square, Urban Skyline, City, Famous Place
1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
Vista of the San Jose skyline, with puffy clouds in the background and residential areas in the foreground.