New year, new career? Study ranks cities with best job markets. How WA cities fared
The close of one year and the start of another often comes with a period of evaluation, as many look at their lives and assess their successes. Some make drastic changes around Jan. 1 because of this, with resolutions that go all-out, including finding a new job or starting a new career.
The current job market is better for applicants than it has been in a while, with unemployment rates closer to pre-pandemic levels and varied labor shortages within specific sectors.
So where should one look for a new job? According to a new study from financial advising site WalletHub, some cities have stronger job markets, and are subsequently better for job seekers.
Best cities in American to find a job
The study ranked nearly 200 cities based on dozens of factors in two categories, socioeconomics and the job market. The top ten are:
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Tampa, Florida
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Columbia, Maryland
- Austin, Texas
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Seattle, WA
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Plano, Texas
- Boston, Massachusetts
Seattle also tied five other cities for the highest starting salary average per month, one of the individual factors evaluated.
The cities with the lowest rankings were:
- Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Columbus, Georgia
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Bakersfield, California
- Stockton, California
- Augusta, Georgia
- San Bernardino, California
- Gulfport, Mississippi
- Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Newark, New Jersey
Finding a job in other WA cities
Other Washington cities evaluated include Tacoma, Spokane and Vancouver.
Vancouver fared the worst, ranking 150 out of 182.
Tacoma ranked 99 and Spokane ranked 84.
By comparison, in nearby states, Portland, Oregon ranked 62 and Boise, Idaho ranked 27.
This story was originally published January 4, 2024 at 11:01 AM.