The 15 best job markets in the country — where incomes are surging and unemployment is low

2 months ago 26

Richmond, Virginia.

It's a tough job market at the moment, with openings dropping.
But some cities have better job markets than others, and SmartAsset recently ranked 348 of them.
Some top markets include Nashville, Austin, and Seattle.

With job openings dropping and wage growth slowing, the US labor market is cooling off.

But there are some pockets of the country that have more buzzing job markets than others.

Financial data firm SmartAsset recently published a study ranking 348 cities around the US on how attractive their job markets are. The study uses Census Bureau data from 2023, the most recent data available, and considers local unemployment rates, median annual earnings, three-year income growth, the percentage of its workforce that has a remote job, and more.

Below, we've listed the top 15 cities in the ranking, along with the above data points. For reference, here are the median values for each variable across the study sample:

Unemployment rate: 4.45%
Median earnings: $42,140
3-year income growth: 25.28%
Percent working remotely: 11.93%

15. Nashville, Tennessee

Aerial view of downtown Nashville streets with cars and lit-up venues

Unemployment rate: 3.13%

Median earnings: $50,304

3-year income growth: 38.37%

Percent working remotely: 17.81%

14. St. Louis, Missouri

An aerial view of downtown St. Louis, Missouri.

Unemployment rate: 4.69%

Median earnings: $59,986

3-year income growth: 34.47%

Percent working remotely: 13.30%

13. Scottsdale, Arizona

Downtown Scottsdale, Arizona.

Unemployment rate: 2.97%

Median earnings: $57,183

3-year income growth: 28.38%

Percent working remotely: 26.52%

12. Wichita Falls, Texas

wichita falls

Unemployment rate: 2.51%

Median earnings: $68,390

3-year income growth: 39.65%

Percent working remotely: 7.58%

11. Austin, Texas

A city view of Austin, Texas.

Unemployment rate: 3.95%

Median earnings: $36,585

3-year income growth: 34.97%

Percent working remotely: 26.54%

10. Sunnyvale, California

People at Historic Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale, California.

Unemployment rate: 3.45%

Median earnings: $111,905

3-year income growth: 31.12%

Percent working remotely: 15.33%

9. Westminster, Colorado

Photo shows Denver, Colorado.

Unemployment rate: 1.69%

Median earnings: $70,711

3-year income growth: 37.73%

Percent working remotely: 19.35%

8. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Aerial View of Sioux Falls, South Dakota at Sunset

Unemployment rate: 2.36%

Median earnings: $56,858

3-year income growth: 29.89%

Percent working remotely: 9.26%

7. Cary, North Carolina

cary north carolina

Unemployment rate: 3.50%

Median earnings: $47,203

3-year income growth: 23.13%

Percent working remotely: 27.96%

6. Santa Clara, California

santa clara california

Unemployment rate: 4.24%

Median earnings: $90,384

3-year income growth: 40.97%

Percent working remotely: 16.51%

5. Carmel, Indiana

Ariel view of Carmel, Indiana

Unemployment rate: 2.27%

Median earnings: $101,038

3-year income growth: 21.49%

Percent working remotely: 27.75%

4. Bellevue, Washington

Bellevue, Washington

Unemployment rate: 4.29%

Median earnings: $76,228

3-year income growth: 32.43%

Percent working remotely: 24.59%

3. Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington downtown skyline.

Unemployment rate: 4.17%

Median earnings: $46,443

3-year income growth: 35.99%

Percent working remotely: 26.87%

2. Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia.

Unemployment rate: 3.80%

Median earnings: $73,138

3-year income growth: 49.47%

Percent working remotely: 15.81%

1. Bend, Oregon

bend oregon

Unemployment rate: 3.16%

Median earnings: $51,382

3-year income growth: 44.22%

Percent working remotely: 26.89%

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