Looking for a Job? Here's The Best Cities With Promising Job Opportunities for 2013

Available published evidence shows that the ability to secure a steady job and paycheck depends on where you call home. Generally speaking, most job seekers are of the view that big cities (for instance, cities like New York, Florida, and Washington DC) will offer the biggest paychecks. However, it should be acknowledged that cost of living is an important metric that many of them undervalue. This important point may be clarified by the following example: Living in New York, will obviously costs more than twice as much as the national average. This implies that if you live in New York City, your paychecks will be eaten up by rent bills and other household needs. The bottom line: don’t assume that the biggest city is the best place to work because, at the end of the day, what really matters is your net paycheck (Goudreau, 2013).

In a study to find out which are the most promising hubs for job seekers, NerdWallet, a financial literacy website, examined 26 biggest cities in United States. Their study covers such issues as population growth between 2010 through 2011, the local unemployment rate, cost of living, and the median income of the residents. They examined these variables in their study for two main reasons: First, population growth is a reliable indicator of the overall business growth in this city - a city is growing quickly will experience an underlying ripple effect of more companies and a greater need for services. Second, the cost of living in any given city reflects how far your dollar will go ((Goudreau, 2013).

According to NerdWallet’s (Goudreau, 2013) study, the following cities topped the list of the best cities for job seekers.

No. 1: Austin, TX
Population Growth: 3.8%
Unemployment Rate: 6.2%
Median Income: $31,170
Median Rent: $968

No. 2: Washington, DC
Population Growth: 2.7%
Unemployment Rate: 10.2%
Median Income: $43,993
Median Rent: $1,823

No. 3: San Francisco, CA
Population Growth: 0.9%
Unemployment Rate: 8.6%
Median Income: $46,777
Median Rent: $2,702

[More from Forbes: The Worst Cities For Job Seekers]

No. 4: Denver, CO
Population Growth: 3.3%
Unemployment Rate: 9.1%
Median Income: $32,051
Median Rent: $931

No. 5: Houston, TX
Population Growth: 2.2%
Unemployment Rate: 8.2%
Median Income: $26,849
Median Rent: $1,311

No. 6: Fort Worth, TX
Population Growth: 2.3%
Unemployment Rate: 8.0%
Median Income: $24,270
Median Rent: $980

No. 7: Dallas, TX
Population Growth: 2.1%
Unemployment Rate: 8.5%
Median Income: $27,251
Median Rent: $792

No. 8: Seattle, WA
Population Growth: 2.0%
Unemployment Rate: 7.5%
Median Income: $41,695
Median Rent: $1,417

No. 9: San Antonio, TX
Population Growth: 2.4%
Unemployment Rate: 7.4%
Median Income: $22,333
Median Rent: $823

No. 10: Charlotte, NC
Population Growth: 2.7%
Unemployment Rate: 9.2%
Median Income: $31,667
Median Rent: $790

Source

Goudreau J. (2013): The 10 Best Cities for Job Seekers. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2013 from