Strongest US Job Markets
Cities ranked by the AreaProfile Opportunity signal
Where employment conditions and earnings are strongest, measured consistently across every published city profile.
50 locations · Calculated October 8, 2026 · Data reflects July 2026 · Download CSV
The supporting columns show on a wider screen, and every column is in the CSV.
50 places, ranked nationally.
| # | City | Score | Unemployment rate | Median household income | Shortlist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charleston, SC | 90.2 | 3.2% | $92,414 | |
| 2 | Lee's Summit, MO | 86.3 | 3.1% | $102,531 | |
| 3 | Anchorage, AK | 84.2 | 3.2% | $103,284 | |
| 4 | Sandy Springs, GA | 84.0 | 2.4% | $104,340 | |
| 5 | Midland, TX | 83.8 | 3.5% | $89,585 | |
| 6 | Meridian, ID | 83.6 | 3.0% | $100,795 | |
| 7 | Carmel, IN | 83.5 | 3.0% | $141,505 | |
| 8 | Salt Lake City, UT | 81.5 | 3.4% | $75,090 | |
| 9 | Lincoln, NE | 81.4 | 2.6% | $71,867 | |
| 10 | West Jordan, UT | 81.0 | 3.3% | $108,153 | |
| 11 | Fishers, IN | 80.8 | 3.0% | $130,203 | |
| 12 | Atlanta, GA | 80.3 | 3.5% | $85,652 | |
| 13 | Athens-Clarke County, GA | 79.6 | 3.2% | $52,974 | |
| 14 | Boise City, ID | 79.3 | 3.1% | $83,904 | |
| 15 | Omaha, NE | 78.2 | 3.3% | $73,201 | |
| 16 | Austin, TX | 78.0 | 3.8% | $93,658 | |
| 17 | Nashville-Davidson, TN | 77.8 | 3.0% | $77,371 | |
| 18 | Fargo, ND | 77.4 | 2.2% | $66,998 | |
| 19 | Urban Honolulu, HI | 77.4 | 2.8% | $86,504 | |
| 20 | Jersey City, NJ | 77.1 | 4.2% | $97,710 | |
| 21 | Murfreesboro, TN | 76.8 | 3.1% | $80,108 | |
| 22 | Cary, NC | 76.7 | 3.0% | $134,905 | |
| 23 | Manchester, NH | 76.7 | 2.7% | $81,007 | |
| 24 | Savannah, GA | 76.2 | 3.1% | $57,137 | |
| 25 | Round Rock, TX | 76.1 | 4.0% | $99,287 | |
| 26 | North Charleston, SC | 75.6 | 3.7% | $62,956 | |
| 27 | Madison, WI | 75.5 | 2.9% | $78,050 | |
| 28 | Frisco, TX | 75.4 | 4.3% | $150,212 | |
| 29 | Pittsburgh, PA | 75.1 | 3.7% | $65,742 | |
| 30 | Miami, FL | 74.9 | 2.2% | $62,462 | |
| 31 | Green Bay, WI | 74.4 | 3.3% | $66,206 | |
| 32 | Huntsville, AL | 74.3 | 3.3% | $74,714 | |
| 33 | Sunnyvale, CA | 73.5 | 3.5% | $186,170 | |
| 34 | Sioux Falls, SD | 73.4 | 1.9% | $75,970 | |
| 35 | Columbia, MD | 73.2 | 3.6% | $131,490 | |
| 36 | Billings, MT | 72.8 | 3.0% | $73,712 | |
| 37 | Kansas City, MO | 72.7 | 3.7% | $69,166 | |
| 38 | Raleigh, NC | 72.3 | 3.3% | $85,395 | |
| 39 | Columbus, OH | 72.1 | 3.3% | $66,082 | |
| 40 | St. George, UT | 71.9 | 3.8% | $76,508 | |
| 41 | Carrollton, TX | 71.9 | 4.1% | $101,396 | |
| 42 | West Valley City, UT | 71.8 | 3.6% | $92,209 | |
| 43 | League City, TX | 71.6 | 4.4% | $121,099 | |
| 44 | Cambridge, MA | 71.3 | 3.6% | $130,748 | |
| 45 | Fort Wayne, IN | 71.3 | 3.4% | $61,422 | |
| 46 | The Woodlands, TX | 71.1 | 4.8% | $140,701 | |
| 47 | Allen, TX | 71.0 | 4.4% | $130,901 | |
| 48 | Bend, OR | 70.7 | 4.4% | $96,394 | |
| 49 | Reno, NV | 70.7 | 3.9% | $80,760 | |
| 50 | Nampa, ID | 70.7 | 3.5% | $74,279 |
Methodology
Cities are ranked by the AreaProfile Opportunity signal, which weights the current unemployment rate (30%, inverted), one-year employment change (20%), three-year employment change (15%), median household income (20%) and the share of adults with a four-year degree (15%). Each input is converted to a national percentile against other cities before weighting.
What is excluded, and why
Cities under 100,000 residents, and any city where the Opportunity signal could not be produced because a required input was unavailable.
The top 50 of the 351 cities that meet these criteria are listed.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics (la)
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) (2024)
Full details of how signals and the Area Score are calculated are on the methodology page, and how rankings like this one are built and reviewed is on the editorial policy page.