Best & Worst Metropolitan Areas for Finding a Job

publication date: Aug 18, 2009

Jobs' search engine Indeed.com put together an insightful graphic that depicts the best and worst places geographically to look for work. Our nation's capital has the highest number of job postings in comparison to unemployed people...whereas Detroit is at the bottom of the list with just one job listing for every 18 people who are unemployed.

This is a reminder that sometimes a good career can be to move to a new location after of course considering important factors such as family and friends, cost of housing and living, etc.

This is also a reminder of doing local analysis before making an important decision. In my real estate books, I've long stressed the importance of researching the local job market among other factors. That's why folks simply painting the national real estate market with a broad brush are wrong because market conditions vary from area to area. The job market is no different in that regard.

Job Market Competition

How hard is it to find a job in your city? Here's a comparison of the number of job postings
compared with number of unemployed for the 50 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S.

June 2009

Rank Change Metropolitian Area Job posting icon Job Postings vs. Unemployment icon Unemployed Persons Ratio
1   Washington, DC Job posting iconJob posting iconJob posting iconJob posting iconJob posting iconJob posting icon Unemployment icon 6:1
2   Jacksonville, FL Job posting iconJob posting iconJob posting icon Unemployment icon 3:1
3 20090818 4 Baltimore, MD Job posting icon Unemployment icon 1:1
4 20090818 1 Salt Lake City, UT Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:2
5 20090818 4 New York, NY Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:2
6 20090818 -2 San Jose, CA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:2
7 20090818 -1 Hartford, CT Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:2
8 20090818 6 Oklahoma City, OK Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:3
9 20090818 2 Austin, TX Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:3
10 20090818 2 Boston, MA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:3
11 20090818 6 New Orleans, LA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:3
12 20090818 4 San Antonio, TX Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:3
13 20090818 -5 Seattle, WA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:3
14 20090818 -4 Denver, CO Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:3
15 20090818 -2 San Francisco, CA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:3
16 20090818 7 Pittsburgh, PA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:4
17 20090818 10 Virginia Beach, VA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:4
18 20090818 4 Richmond, VA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:4
19 20090818 -16 Milwaukee, WI Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:4
20 20090818 10 Cincinnati, OH Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:4
21   Philadelphia, PA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:4
22 20090818 2 Kansas City, MO Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:4
23 20090818 -8 Phoenix, AZ Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:4
24 20090818 -4 Dallas, TX Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
25 20090818 -7 Houston, TX Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
26   Columbus, OH Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
27 20090818 14 Memphis, TN Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
28 20090818 1 Indianapolis, IN Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
29 20090818 9 Louisville, KY Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
30 20090818 3 Charlotte, NC Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
31 20090818 -3 San Diego, CA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
32 20090818 -1 Cleveland, OH Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
33 20090818 -1 Nashville, TN Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
34 20090818 -15 St. Paul, MN Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
35   Providence, RI Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
36 20090818 1 Tampa, FL Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
37 20090818 -3 Atlanta, GA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
38 20090818 -13 Birmingham, AL Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
39 20090818 7 Las Vegas, NV Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:5
40 20090818 -1 St. Louis, MO Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:6
41 20090818 2 Buffalo, NY Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:6
42 20090818 -6 Orlando, FL Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:6
43 20090818 -1 Sacramento, CA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:6
44 20090818 -4 Rochester, NY Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:6
45   Chicago, IL Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:7
46 20090818 -2 Portland, OR Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:7
47 20090818 1 Los Angeles, CA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:8
48 20090818 -1 Riverside, CA Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:9
49   Miami, FL Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:10
50   Detroit, MI Job posting icon Unemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment iconUnemployment icon 1:18

 

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Eric Tyson is the only best-selling personal finance author who has an extensive background as an hourly-based financial advisor and who does not accept speaking fees, endorsement deals or fees of any type from companies in the financial services industry or product or service providers recommended in his articles, books and his publications.