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

Richmond, Virginia.Bill Dickinson/Getty ImagesIt'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: $42,1403-year income growth: 25.28%Percent working remotely: 11.93%15. Nashville, TennesseeMike/Getty ImagesUnemployment rate: 3.13%Median earnings: $50,3043-year income growth: 38.37%Percent working remotely: 17.81%14. St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri.Art Wager/Getty ImagesUnemployment rate: 4.69%Median earnings: $59,9863-year income growth: 34.47%Percent working remotely: 13.30%13. Scottsdale, ArizonaDowntown Scottsdale, Arizona.antsdrone/ShutterstockUnemployment rate: 2.97%Median earnings: $57,1833-year income growth: 28.38%Percent working remotely: 26.52%12. Wichita Falls, TexasWichita Falls, Texas, was named the city with the lowest cost of living.DenisTangneyJr/Getty ImagesUnemployment rate: 2.51%Median earnings: $68,3903-year income growth: 39.65%Percent working remotely: 7.58%11. Austin, TexasA city view of Austin, Texas.Getty ImagesUnemployment rate: 3.95%Median earnings: $36,5853-year income growth: 34.97%Percent working remotely: 26.54%10. Sunnyvale, CaliforniaPeople at Historic Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale, California.Sundry Photography/ShutterstockUnemployment rate: 3.45%Median earnings: $111,9053-year income growth: 31.12%Percent working remotely: 15.33%9. Westminster, ColoradoWestminster is a suburb of Denver, pictured above.John Coletti/Getty ImagesUnemployment rate: 1.69%Median earnings: $70,7113-year income growth: 37.73%Percent working remotely: 19.35%8. Sioux Falls, South DakotaSioux Falls, South DakotaJacob Boomsma/ShutterstockUnemployment rate: 2.36%Median earnings: $56,8583-year income growth: 29.89%Percent working remotely: 9.26%7. Cary, North CarolinaKAD Photo/ShutterstockUnemployment rate: 3.50%Median earnings: $47,2033-year income growth: 23.13%Percent working remotely: 27.96%6. Santa Clara, CaliforniaMission Santa Clara de Asís in Santa Clara.Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz/ShutterstockUnemployment rate: 4.24%Median earnings: $90,3843-year income growth: 40.97%Percent working remotely: 16.51%5. Carmel, IndianaMichael Godek/Getty ImagesUnemployment rate: 2.27%Median earnings: $101,0383-year income growth: 21.49%Percent working remotely: 27.75%4. Bellevue, WashingtonRyan C Slimak PhotoUnemployment rate: 4.29%Median earnings: $76,2283-year income growth: 32.43%Percent working remotely: 24.59%3. Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington downtown skyline.Sean Pavone/ShutterstockUnemployment rate: 4.17%Median earnings: $46,4433-year income growth: 35.99%Percent working remotely: 26.87%2. Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, Virginia.Bill Dickinson/Getty ImagesUnemployment rate: 3.80%Median earnings: $73,1383-year income growth: 49.47%Percent working remotely: 15.81%1. Bend, OregonBend, Oregon — one of the fastest growing cities in America — is pictured above.Mike Albright Photography/ShutterstockUnemployment rate: 3.16%Median earnings: $51,3823-year income growth: 44.22%Percent working remotely: 26.89%Read the original article on Business Insider

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