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The 15 Best Job Markets in the Country, Where Incomes Are Surging

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  • It’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: $42,140
  • 3-year income growth: 25.28%
  • Percent working remotely: 11.93%

15. Nashville, Tennessee


Aerial view of downtown Nashville streets with cars and lit-up venues





Mike/Getty Images

Unemployment rate: 3.13%

Median earnings: $50,304

3-year income growth: 38.37%

Percent working remotely: 17.81%

14. St. Louis, Missouri




St. Louis, Missouri.


Art Wager/Getty Images

Unemployment rate: 4.69%

Median earnings: $59,986

3-year income growth: 34.47%

Percent working remotely: 13.30%

13. Scottsdale, Arizona




Downtown Scottsdale, Arizona.


antsdrone/Shutterstock

Unemployment rate: 2.97%

Median earnings: $57,183

3-year income growth: 28.38%

Percent working remotely: 26.52%

12. Wichita Falls, Texas






DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

Unemployment rate: 2.51%

Median earnings: $68,390

3-year income growth: 39.65%

Percent working remotely: 7.58%

11. Austin, Texas




A city view of Austin, Texas.


Getty Images

Unemployment rate: 3.95%

Median earnings: $36,585

3-year income growth: 34.97%

Percent working remotely: 26.54%

10. Sunnyvale, California




People at Historic Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale, California.


Sundry Photography/Shutterstock

Unemployment rate: 3.45%

Median earnings: $111,905

3-year income growth: 31.12%

Percent working remotely: 15.33%

9. Westminster, Colorado




Westminster is a suburb of Denver, pictured above.


John Coletti/Getty Images

Unemployment rate: 1.69%

Median earnings: $70,711

3-year income growth: 37.73%

Percent working remotely: 19.35%

8. Sioux Falls, South Dakota




Sioux Falls, South Dakota


Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Unemployment rate: 2.36%

Median earnings: $56,858

3-year income growth: 29.89%

Percent working remotely: 9.26%

7. Cary, North Carolina






KAD Photo/Shutterstock

Unemployment rate: 3.50%

Median earnings: $47,203

3-year income growth: 23.13%

Percent working remotely: 27.96%

6. Santa Clara, California




Mission Santa Clara de Asís in Santa Clara.


Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz/Shutterstock

Unemployment rate: 4.24%

Median earnings: $90,384

3-year income growth: 40.97%

Percent working remotely: 16.51%

5. Carmel, Indiana






Michael Godek/Getty Images

Unemployment rate: 2.27%

Median earnings: $101,038

3-year income growth: 21.49%

Percent working remotely: 27.75%

4. Bellevue, Washington






Ryan C Slimak Photo

Unemployment rate: 4.29%

Median earnings: $76,228

3-year income growth: 32.43%

Percent working remotely: 24.59%

3. Seattle, Washington




Seattle, Washington downtown skyline.


Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Unemployment rate: 4.17%

Median earnings: $46,443

3-year income growth: 35.99%

Percent working remotely: 26.87%

2. Richmond, Virginia




Richmond, Virginia.


Bill Dickinson/Getty Images

Unemployment rate: 3.80%

Median earnings: $73,138

3-year income growth: 49.47%

Percent working remotely: 15.81%

1. Bend, Oregon




Bend, Oregon — one of the fastest growing cities in America — is pictured above.

Mike Albright Photography/Shutterstock


Unemployment rate: 3.16%

Median earnings: $51,382

3-year income growth: 44.22%

Percent working remotely: 26.89%

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