The 25 Best Cities for Jobs - And There Are Tons of Openings Right Now
When people relocate for a job, they tend to gravitate towards millennial meccas like New York and San Francisco. But if you’re looking for a change of scenery, a midsize city with working-class roots may be the wiser bet.
New data from careers site Glassdoor reveals the 25 best U.S. metro areas for jobs, based on affordability, openings, and job satisfaction. Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Kansas City topped the list -- and a panoply of blue-collar hotspots rounded it out.
The top three cities, all rapidly-evolving destinations for tech talent, have over 80,000 job openings each, and a cost of living that puts big cities to shame. Other Midwestern cities on the list, like Minneapolis and Detroit, have well over 100,000 openings a piece.
Salaries tend to rise in big city markets. But with an abysmal ratio between median pay and median home value (with average house prices as high as $1.5 million in San Francisco), that's not much of a redeeming factor.
Cleveland (#7), by comparison, has a median home value of $134,600; about 40% below the national average. And a booming job market in Ohio (Columbus and Cincinnati are also in Glassdoor's top 10) makes snagging a gig in the buckeye state easier than most places.
“When it comes to finding the best city for jobs, bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better,” says Glassdoor Chief Economist Dr. Andrew Chamberlain. “These areas stand out for offering some of the greatest job prospects along with a lower cost of living that allows more employees to live comfortably.”
If affordability and an easy job search top your list of priorities, check out these cities below.
1. Pittsburgh, PA
- Job Openings: 95,399
- Median Base Salary: $44,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Median Home Value: $137,400
2. Indianapolis, IN
- Job Openings: 80,561
- Median Base Salary: $43,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Median Home Value: $138,100
3. Kansas City, MO
- Job Openings: 90,649
- Median Base Salary: $45,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Median Home Value: $159,400
4. Raleigh-Durham, NC
- Job Openings: 65,810
- Median Base Salary: $50,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- Median Home Value: $228,200
5. St. Louis, MO
- Job Openings: 104,725
- Median Base Salary: $45,600
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- Median Home Value: $148,600
6. Memphis, TN
- Job Openings: 42,347
- Median Base Salary: $41,200
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Median Home Value: $119,700
7. Columbus, OH
- Job Openings: 78,370
- Median Base Salary: $45,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- Median Home Value: $162,500
8. Cincinnati, OH
- Job Openings: 79,554
- Median Base Salary: $44,637
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Median Home Value: $152,600
9. Cleveland, OH
10. Louisville, KY
- Job Openings: 49,213
- Median Base Salary: $40,138
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Median Home Value: $148,600
11. Birmingham, AL
- Job Openings: 40,123
- Median Base Salary: $38,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Median Home Value: $133,400
12. Detroit, MI
- Job Openings: 119,567
- Median Base Salary: $46,344
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Median Home Value: $141,000
13. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
- Job Openings: 151,656
- Median Base Salary: $52,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- Median Home Value: $247,400
14. Hartford, CT
- Job Openings: 46,274
- Median Base Salary: $55,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Median Home Value: $223,100
15. Oklahoma City, OK
- Job Openings: 43,898
- Median Base Salary: $36,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- Median Home Value: $134,900
16. Washington, DC
- Job Openings: 293,481
- Median Base Salary: $62,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Median Home Value: $382,600
17. Seattle, WA
- Job Openings: 187,741
- Median Base Salary: $65,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Median Home Value: $447,100
18. Atlanta, GA
- Job Openings: 195,021
- Median Base Salary: $46,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- Median Home Value: $179,900
19. Baltimore, MD
- Job Openings: 123,370
- Median Base Salary: $48,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- Median Home Value: $261,000
20. Nashville, TN
- Job Openings: 80,192
- Median Base Salary: $42,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- Median Home Value: $220,100
21. Milwaukee, WI
- Job Openings: 63,772
- Median Base Salary: $46,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Median Home Value: $215,500
22. San Jose, CA
- Job Openings: 106,809
- Median Base Salary: $100,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Median Home Value: $1,013,700
23. Chicago, IL
- Job Openings: 332,546
- Median Base Salary: $50,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Median Home Value: $211,200
24. Charlotte, NC
- Job Openings: 78,285
- Median Base Salary: $45,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Median Home Value: $174,800