Greater Lafayette best place in nation for career opportunity

LAFAYETTE, Ind. − The Greater Lafayette area has been named by SmartAsset the number one spot in the country for career opportunities for the second year in a row.

SmartAsset is an online destination for consumer-focused financial information and advice, according to a release from the City of Lafayette. Despite rising inflation costs, the Lafayette area is still a job seeker's market.

"There are roughly 11 million job openings available nationwide as of May 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS)," the release said. "For the same month, there were 6.5 million hires. Data from June 2022 shows a 4% increase in the percentage of people who voluntarily left their jobs compared with one year ago. In Greater Lafayette alone, there are currently 4,156 job openings that range from entry-level to skilled labor advanced manufacturing to executive management positions."

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In order to determine where job seekers have the best access to career opportunities, SmartAsset compiled data of the largest 200 metro areas across nine metrics. Topics such as employment, earnings, housing costs and access to career guidance were considered.

The following is SmartAsset's top ten ranking for career opportunities in the country:

  1. Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN

  2. Hunstville, AL

  3. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

  4. Tuscaloosa, AL

  5. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

  6. Cedar Rapids, IA

  7. Dayton, OH

  8. Salt Lake City, UT

  9. Fort Wayne, IN

  10. Toledo, OH

“We are extremely pleased with the ranking that SmartAsset has given to Greater Lafayette,” Tony Roswarski, Lafayette mayor, said in the release. “Greater Lafayette has collaborated to make this community a robust and exciting place to live, work and play. We have devoted endless resources to growth and prosperity that enhances the quality of life for our citizens which is attracting job seekers to relocate to Greater Lafayette.”

Linked here is the original study by SmartAsset.

Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Greater Lafayette best in nation for career opportunity: SmartAsset