Cities With the Most Job Openings in Every State
If you’re looking for a job, the good news is that employers are hiring.
Although the U.S. economy has been slowing, the job market has remained strong. The unemployment rate hit a 50-year low of 3.5% in September. It edged up slightly in October to 3.6%, but the increase was caused in part by striking General Motors workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Overall, employers added 128,000 jobs in October. Some of the biggest gains were in the food, social and financial services industries. Average hourly earnings also increased slightly in October.
What was also notable in the October jobs report was the decline in the number of discouraged workers — people who weren’t looking for work because they believed there weren’t jobs available for them. The report showed that more people are feeling encouraged to return to the job market.
Of course, whether you can land a job — if you’re in the market for a new position or returning to the workforce — will depend on many things. One of those is the job market where you live. Although job growth has been steady nationwide, openings can vary greatly from city to city.
To find out where job seekers might have a greater chance of getting hired, GOBankingRates used data from CareerBuilder to identify the top three places in each state with the most job listings over the past year. Job posting data are for metro areas, which include both cities and surrounding suburbs. Some of these metro areas cross state lines, so they appear among the top places with the most job openings in multiple states. For example, Chicago appears as one of the cities with the most job openings in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin because the metro area expands into all of those states.
Knowing where there are more openings can help with your job search. Keep reading to find out which are the best places for job seekers.
Alabama
Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama: 250,858
Huntsville, Alabama: 114,370
Montgomery, Alabama: 80,805
Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska: 90,186
Fairbanks, Alaska: 26,485
Juneau, Alaska: 21,742
Arizona
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona: 901,487
Tucson, Arizona: 159,640
Prescott Valley-Prescott, Arizona: 38,449
Arkansas
Memphis, Tennessee, metro area: 293,728
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, Arkansas: 176,664
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas: 123,169
California
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California: 2,301,867
San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California: 1,519,991
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California: 730,357
Colorado
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado: 913,188
Colorado Springs, Colorado: 136,915
Boulder, Colorado: 112,191
Connecticut
Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, Connecticut: 311,773
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut: 218,059
New Haven-Milford, Connecticut: 152,682
Delaware
Philadelphia metro area: 1,422,399
Salisbury, Maryland, metro area: 87,969
Dover, Delaware: 54,449
District of Columbia
Washington D.C. metro area: 2,101,962
Florida
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida: 935,042
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida: 557,911
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida: 460,615
Georgia
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, Georgia: 1,344,257
Augusta, Georgia/Richmond County metro area: 117,023
Chattanooga, Tennessee, metro area: 114,226
Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii: 127,950
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii: 26,807
Hilo, Hawaii: 17,744
Idaho
Boise, Idaho: 154,121
Idaho Falls, Idaho: 31,972
Twin Falls, Idaho: 21,223
Illinois
Chicago metro area: 2,180,539
St. Louis metro area: 718,659
Peoria, Illinois: 108,418
Indiana
Chicago metro area: 2,180,539
Cincinnati metro area: 555,953
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Indiana: 501,460
Iowa
Omaha, Nebraska, metro area: 255,354
Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa: 226,006
Davenport, Iowa, metro area: 107,329
Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas, metro area: 595,468
Wichita, Kansas: 145,696
Topeka, Kansas: 68,744
Kentucky
Cincinnati metro area: 555,953
Louisville, Kentucky/Jefferson County metro area: 289,928
Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky: 130,105
Louisiana
New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana: 244,518
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 163,768
Lafayette, Louisiana: 71,427
Maine
Portland-South Portland, Maine: 157,174
Augusta-Waterville, Maine: 49,163
Bangor, Maine: 42,051
Maryland
Washington D.C. metro area: 2,101,962
Philadelphia metro area: 1,422,399
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Maryland: 757,243
Massachusetts
Boston metro area: 1,553,944
Providence-Warwick, Rhode Island, metro area: 368,824
Worcester, Massachusetts, metro area: 197,366
Michigan
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Michigan: 890,363
Grand Rapids-Kentwood, Michigan: 215,910
Lansing-East Lansing, Michigan: 132,600
Minnesota
Minneapolis metro area: 1,147,081
Fargo, North Dakota, metro area: 74,696
Duluth, Minnesota: 66,118
Mississippi
Memphis, Tennessee, metro area: 293,647
Jackson, Mississippi: 149,649
Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi: 69,843
Missouri
St. Louis metro area: 718,659
Kansas City, Missouri, metro area: 595,468
Springfield, Missouri: 101,122
Montana
Billings, Montana: 61,738
Helena, Montana: 43,251
Bozeman, Montana: 33,789
Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska, metro area: 255,354
Lincoln, Nebraska: 86,061
Sioux City, South Dakota, metro area: 42,960
Nevada
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada: 341,361
Reno, Nevada: 111,994
Carson City, Nevada: 24,770
New Hampshire
Manchester-Nashua, New Hampshire: 131,605
Lebanon, New Hampshire: 79,833
Concord, New Hampshire: 54,065
New Jersey
New York metro area: 3,517,639
Philadelphia metro area: 1,422,399
Trenton-Princeton, New Jersey: 149,097
New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico: 173,700
Santa Fe, New Mexico: 42,598
Las Cruces, New Mexico: 36,606
New York
New York metro area: 3,517,639
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York: 229,777
Rochester, New York: 224,158
North Carolina
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, North Carolina: 619,840
Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina: 369,206
Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina: 169,553
North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota, metro area: 74,696
Bismarck, North Dakota: 41,729
Grand Forks, North Dakota, metro area: 36,065
Ohio
Cincinnati metro area: 555,953
Columbus, Ohio: 532,052
Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio: 505,539
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City: 285,197
Tulsa, Oklahoma: 204,789
Fort Smith, Arkansas, metro area: 49,199
Oregon
Portland, Oregon, metro area: 646,971
Salem, Oregon: 86,059
Eugene-Springfield, Oregon: 69,697
Pennsylvania
New York metro area: 3,517,639
Philadelphia metro area: 1,422,399
Pittsburgh: 650,228
Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island, metro area: 368,824
South Carolina
Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina: 194,525
Columbia, South Carolina: 189,498
Greenville-Anderson, South Carolina: 173,628
South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota: 75,921
Sioux City, South Dakota, metro area: 42,960
Rapid City, South Dakota: 32,810
Tennessee
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee: 570,384
Memphis, Tennessee, metro area: 293,647
Knoxville, Tennessee: 170,980
Texas
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas: 1,693,296
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas: 1,061,448
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas: 547,648
Utah
Salt Lake City: 356,421
Provo-Orem, Utah: 112,390
Ogden-Clearfield, Utah: 112,351
Vermont
Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont: 84,050
Barre, Vermont: 38,974
Rutland, Vermont: 21,953
Virginia
Washington D.C. metro area: 2,101,962
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia: 412,623
Richmond, Virginia: 329,451
Washington
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington: 1,191,182
Portland, Oregon, metro area: 646,971
Spokane-Spokane Valley, Washington: 95,580
West Virginia
Washington D.C. metro area: 2,101,962
Charleston, West Virginia: 103,465
Huntington, West Virginia, metro area: 75,559
Wisconsin
Chicago metro area: 2,180,539
Minneapolis metro area: 1,147,081
Milwaukee-Waukesha, Wisconsin: 438,640
Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming: 43,671
Casper, Wyoming: 22,261
Gillette, Wyoming: 17,312
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Disclaimer: Certain metropolitan areas listed have borders that overlap with multiple states. Therefore, some of the cities listed may not be located within that particular state.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Cities With the Most Job Openings in Every State
