Free informative and Powerful Ecommerce Contents: Cities With the Best Career Opportunities

It’s not a bad time to be looking for a job. The U.S. is currently undergoing the longest economic expansion in its history, and the unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in almost 50 years. In this job seeker’s market, now is an opportune time for workers to make career moves.

Cities With the Best Career Opportunities

Despite the strength of the national labor market, some parts of the country are faring better than others when it comes to employment.

To find the best metropolitan areas for career opportunities, researchers at Volusion analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau to calculate a composite score based on the following metrics:

Year-over-year total employment growth
Year-over-year median wage growth
Median annual wage
Annual average unemployment rate
Labor force participation rate
Percentage of workers that are full-time
Mean usual hours worked

Together, these metrics provide insight into the strength of each metro area’s economy and employment situation. For the analysis, metros were grouped into the following categories based on population:

Large: Metros with more than 1,000,000 people
Midize: Metros with 350,000 - 1,000,000 people
Small: Cities with 100,000 - 350,000 people

Here’s what Volusion found:

Wages & wage growth

Among all wage and salary workers, the national median annual wage in 2018 was $38,640. However, this number tends to be higher in large metropolitan areas, with a majority offering wages higher than the national median. After years of stagnation, wage growth has also accelerated since 2013. Between 2017 and 2018, median hourly wages grew 2.5 percent nationally. In large coastal metros, especially major tech hubs like San Francisco, Seattle, and San Jose, wage growth is outpacing the national average.

Cities With the Best Career Opportunities

Unemployment

The annual average unemployment rate for 2018 was 3.9 percent nationally. As with median wages and wage growth, unemployment rates differ across large metros—from 2.5 percent in Nashville up to 4.6 percent in Tucson.

Cities With the Best Career Opportunities

Employment growth

Although the national unemployment rate remains low, there was no significant change in total employment nationwide between 2017 and 2018. However, employment growth varies by industry and location. Some of the industries in the highest demand include healthcare, education, hospitality, and professional services. In addition, about half of large metros had significant increases in total employment year-over-year, with Orlando, Phoenix, and Dallas boasting growth rates of more than 3 percent.

Cities With the Best Career Opportunities

Additional insights

Fortunately for job seekers, the best metropolitan areas for career opportunities are dispersed throughout the country with locations from both coasts, the South, the Midwest, and Mountain States all represented. Here are the best metros for career opportunities:

Cities With the Best Career Opportunities

The 20 large metros with the best career opportunities

Cities With the Best Career Opportunities

Photo credit: Alamy Stock Photo

20. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Overall score: 80.2
Employment growth (YoY): 2.3%
Wage growth (YoY): 3.1%
Median annual wage: $35,780
Unemployment rate: 3.4%
Labor force participation rate: 62.4%
Percentage of workers that are full-time: 69.1%

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