10 July, 2025 careerofbusiness.com 0 Comments 1 category
Richmond, Virginia.
Richmond, Virginia.

Bill Dickinson/Getty Images

  • 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

Mike/Getty Images

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.
St. Louis, Missouri.

Art Wager/Getty Images

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.
Downtown Scottsdale, Arizona.

antsdrone/Shutterstock

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
Wichita Falls, Texas, was named the city with the lowest cost of living.

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

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.
A city view of Austin, Texas.

Getty Images

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.
People at Historic Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale, California.

Sundry Photography/Shutterstock

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.
Westminster is a suburb of Denver, pictured above.

John Coletti/Getty Images

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
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

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

KAD Photo/Shutterstock

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
Mission Santa Clara de Asís in Santa Clara.

Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz/Shutterstock

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

Michael Godek/Getty Images

Unemployment rate: 2.27%

Median earnings: $101,038

3-year income growth: 21.49%

Percent working remotely: 27.75%

4. Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington

Ryan C Slimak Photo

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.
Seattle, Washington downtown skyline.

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Unemployment rate: 4.17%

Median earnings: $46,443

3-year income growth: 35.99%

Percent working remotely: 26.87%

2. Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia.
Richmond, Virginia.

Bill Dickinson/Getty Images

Unemployment rate: 3.80%

Median earnings: $73,138

3-year income growth: 49.47%

Percent working remotely: 15.81%

1. Bend, Oregon
bend oregon
Bend, Oregon — one of the fastest growing cities in America — is pictured above.

Mike Albright Photography/Shutterstock

Unemployment rate: 3.16%

Median earnings: $51,382

3-year income growth: 44.22%

Percent working remotely: 26.89%

Read the original article on Business Insider

 

Category: Business

Related Posts