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 August 29, 2026
| # | City | Score | Unemployment rate | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage, AK | 86 | 3.6% | $103,284 |
| 2 | Atlanta, GA | 85 | 3.7% | $85,652 |
| 3 | Raleigh, NC | 85 | 3.1% | $85,395 |
| 4 | Omaha, NE | 85 | 3.3% | $73,201 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | 84 | 3.9% | $93,658 |
| 6 | Lincoln, NE | 83 | 2.9% | $71,867 |
| 7 | Salt Lake City, UT | 82 | 3.5% | $75,090 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh, PA | 80 | 3.7% | $65,742 |
| 9 | Madison, WI | 80 | 3.0% | $78,050 |
| 10 | Jersey City, NJ | 79 | 4.2% | $97,710 |
| 11 | Boise City, ID | 79 | 3.3% | $83,904 |
| 12 | Sioux Falls, SD | 79 | 2.0% | $75,970 |
| 13 | Kansas City, MO | 79 | 3.6% | $69,166 |
| 14 | Frisco, TX | 79 | 4.4% | $150,212 |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | 79 | 3.4% | $66,082 |
| 16 | Fort Wayne, IN | 77 | 3.5% | $61,422 |
| 17 | Reno, NV | 77 | 3.9% | $80,760 |
| 18 | Little Rock, AR | 77 | 4.2% | $63,003 |
| 19 | Huntsville, AL | 76 | 3.5% | $74,714 |
| 20 | Des Moines, IA | 75 | 3.5% | $65,932 |
| 21 | San Jose, CA | 75 | 4.0% | $146,427 |
| 22 | Charlotte, NC | 73 | 3.6% | $82,068 |
| 23 | McKinney, TX | 73 | 4.8% | $124,215 |
| 24 | New York, NY | 71 | 4.5% | $80,483 |
| 25 | Plano, TX | 71 | 4.5% | $112,253 |
| 26 | Miami, FL | 71 | 2.6% | $62,462 |
| 27 | Indianapolis, IN | 70 | 3.7% | $66,219 |
| 28 | Yonkers, NY | 70 | 4.1% | $83,549 |
| 29 | San Francisco, CA | 70 | 3.7% | $140,970 |
| 30 | Cincinnati, OH | 69 | 4.0% | $52,909 |
| 31 | Irving, TX | 68 | 4.3% | $81,830 |
| 32 | Boston, MA | 68 | 4.2% | $97,344 |
| 33 | Orlando, FL | 68 | 4.2% | $72,336 |
| 34 | Durham, NC | 68 | 3.2% | $81,619 |
| 35 | Spokane, WA | 66 | 3.9% | $70,064 |
| 36 | Overland Park, KS | 66 | 3.8% | $104,834 |
| 37 | Irvine, CA | 66 | 4.2% | $136,719 |
| 38 | San Diego, CA | 66 | 4.3% | $108,077 |
| 39 | Henderson, NV | 66 | 5.2% | $90,138 |
| 40 | Fort Worth, TX | 65 | 4.8% | $79,507 |
| 41 | Amarillo, TX | 64 | 4.1% | $65,912 |
| 42 | Lubbock, TX | 64 | 4.5% | $60,895 |
| 43 | Huntington Beach, CA | 64 | 4.0% | $120,919 |
| 44 | Garland, TX | 64 | 4.5% | $76,320 |
| 45 | Hialeah, FL | 64 | 2.8% | $55,594 |
| 46 | St. Louis, MO | 64 | 4.1% | $56,160 |
| 47 | Knoxville, TN | 63 | 3.7% | $54,039 |
| 48 | Grand Prairie, TX | 63 | 4.8% | $81,619 |
| 49 | Arlington, TX | 63 | 4.7% | $75,171 |
| 50 | Columbus, GA | 62 | 4.3% | $58,073 |
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.
50 of 146 published cities qualified.
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.