The world is getting smaller than ever with the technology available to make global connections. People have even more options when considering where they should live and work. 2017 is changing which cities have the most opportunities and best conditions for job hunters. We have compiled this list of the 10 best cities for job seekers in 2017 by consider data from Indeed's Best Cities for Job Seekers List, Glassdoor's Best Cities for Jobs, US News Real Estate's Best Cities to Live in List, and WalletHub's Best & Worst Cities for Jobs list. We have done the research from these sources to give you the most information possible when considering the best cities.
10. Miami Florida
While some of the sources rate this city as the number 1 best choice, Miami was absent or lower ranked on others. However, Miami still has plenty of qualifications to be on this list. Indeed chose this city for its premier choice because of its high job market favorability (82%), salary percentile (8%), work-life balance percentile (100%), and job security/advancement percentile (!00%). Overall Indeed ranked them with a score of 89.2, their highest. They also made Wallet Hub’s list for their job market rank of 3 and socioeconomic rank of 126, giving them an overall score of 60.78 which is why they qualify for out list.
9. Washington District of Columbia
You may be surprised to see the nation’s capital so low on this list, but it turns out many people are leaving larger cities to go to smaller hubs with better conditions and more opportunity. Still, Washington DC made our list because of its rankings on two of our research source lists. US News Real Estate ranked Washington DC on their list because of their high median annual salary of $65,910 and the variety of employment opportunities offered there. Glassdoor ranked Washington DC number 5 on their list for the many job openings (163, 520), work-life balance rating (3.3) and job satisfaction rating (3.4).
8. Boston Massachusetts
Another famous city that made the list, Boston Massachusetts made two of our source lists which is why it is included here. Glassdoor places Boston on their list because of Boston’s 121,498 job openings, 3.4 work-life balance rating, and 3.4 job satisfaction rating. US News ranked Boston on their list because of the city’s median annual salary of $62,070, and unemployment rate of 3.5%, making it one of the more stable job markets out there. Boston is one of the best cities for job seekers looking for some Northeast options, also qualifying to sit on our list.
7. Seattle Washington
Seattle is a Pacific Northwest city option for job hunters out there looking to consider the north-western portion of the US. This city was well ranked by US News Real Estate because of the large company hubs here, Amazon and Starbucks, and the high median annual salary. Glassdoor also seconded this city as a great option for its median base salary of $85,000, work-life balance rating of 3.3, 103,124 job openings, and job satisfaction rating of 3.4.There is a lot of opportunity in this bustling city and people are well paid here, making it a great place to include in our list.
6. San Francisco California
Get ready for some sunny, warm weather climate cities in this next section of the list, starting off with San Francisco California. This city made both Glassdoor and Wallethub’s lists for a variety of reasons. Glassdoor ranked it number 2 on their list for the 121,597 job openings, median base salary of $88,00, 3.5 work-life balance rating, and rating of 3.5 in job satisfaction, giving it some impressive and well-rounded stats. Wallethub chose this city for it’s list because of it’s high job market rating of 6 and great socioeconomic score of 34. They even gave it an overall score of 63.37 and ranked it as their 5th choice for best job-seeker cities.
5. Orlando Florida
Now we are getting into our top 5 best cities for job seekers. Orlando Florida made two of our source lists with extremely high ratings on both. This sunny, beachy city was chosen as Indeed’s #2 city because of their 98% job market favorability, 18% salary percentile, 84% work-life balance, and 94% job security/advancement percentiles. They gave the city an overall rating of 85.5 points. Wallethub chose Orlando for the number 3 spot on their list for its 2 job market rank and 19 socioeconomic environment rank, giving them an overall score of 64.90.
4. Salt Lake City Utah
Salt Lake City Utah takes our number 4 spot because it was well ranked on three of our source lists. Glassdoor chose this city for their list because of its 23,013 job openings, $58,700 median base salary, 3.4 work-life balance rating and 3.4 job satisfaction rating. It is a little lower with the job openings, but still a solid salary and overall happiness according to their ratings. Wallethub ranked this city on their list because of its job market ranking of 10 and socioeconomic rating of 25, giving them an overall score of 62.54. US New Real Estate also included them because of their low housing expenses and solid median annual salary. With three of our sources giving Salt Lake City decent ratings, they deserve a rank on our list.
3. Austin Texas
Now we are really getting down to the choicest cities for job hunters. Austin Texas takes our number three spot because it was not only ranked on three of the lists, but it was highly ranked by each. US News Real Estate chose Austin as its number 1 choice for best cities in 2017 because of its high scores across the board. There are a lot of tech companies in this city and is less expensive than a lot of other cities with similar opportunities and it has a growing population showing how popular it is. Indeed ranked Austin as its number 4 choice for its job market favorability of 90%, salary percentile of 59%, work-life balance as 80%, and job security/advancement of 69%. They gave it an overall score of 82.1 for all of these favorable and well-rounded statistics. Glassdoor also included Austin on their list for its 45,186 job openings, $61,000 median base salary, 3.3 work-life balance score, and 3.4 job satisfaction rating. Austin is proven to be well rounded across the board and is a great option to consider.
2. San Jose California
More of the sunshine filled state of California comes in our number 2 choice of San Jose. San Jose comes highly rates from three of our sources, it was even Glassdoor’s number 1 choice and US News Real Estate’s number 3 choice, with Indeed also ranking it highly as number 6. Glassdoor chose San Jose because of its 61,038 job openings, median base salary of $112,00, work-life balance score of 3.5, and 3.5 job satisfaction rating. US News Real Estate gave this city the number 3 spot because of it’s high base salary, location in silicon valley, and strong job market. Indeed ranked San Jose well because of its 71% job market favorability, 29% salary percentile, 92% work-life balance score, and job security/advancement 88% rate, giving it the overall rating of 78.6. With such good ratings from all of these sources, San Jose was a natural choice for our number 2 slot.
1. Raleigh North Carolina
Raleigh North Carolina has earned our choice for best city for job seekers because it was ranked in the top 10 best cities lists of all four sources! With each of these sources recognizing this city as full of opportunity and affordability, it was an easy choice for our top slot. Indeed ranked Raleigh number 3 on their list for its 100% job market favorability, salary percentile of 65%, work-life balance score of 39% and 35% job security/advancement percentile. They gave it an overall rating of 84.5. US News Real Estate rated Raleigh well because of its low cost of living and steady growth. Glassdoor rated them well for their 34,660 job openings, $62,000 median base salary, 3.3 job satisfaction rating, and 3.3 job satisfaction score. They were chosen by Wallethub for their Job market ranking of 13 and socioeconomic rank of 40, with an overall score of 61.29. Raleigh is a well recognized city with job opportunity, growth, and good overall work happiness and satisfaction.
Hopefully this list give you options when you consider great cities for job seekers. There are plenty of locations for job hunters to explore new opportunities and our list compiles data from a variety of sources to give a well-informed perspective on the topic of best job hunter cities. When you just consider one source, you risk being influenced by their bias. That’s why we compiled our data from numerous sources to make it easier for you to get the knowledge and insight that you want on this topic. There are a lot of wonderful cities out there, so keep this list in mind and plan your next adventure.
