The 15 best job markets in the country — where incomes are surging and unemployment is low

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

Unemployment rate: 3.13%

Median earnings: $50,304

3-year income growth: 38.37%

Percent working remotely: 17.81%

14. St. Louis, Missouri

Unemployment rate: 4.69%

Median earnings: $59,986

3-year income growth: 34.47%

Percent working remotely: 13.30%

13. Scottsdale, Arizona

Unemployment rate: 2.97%

Median earnings: $57,183

3-year income growth: 28.38%

Percent working remotely: 26.52%

12. Wichita Falls, Texas

Unemployment rate: 2.51%

Median earnings: $68,390

3-year income growth: 39.65%

Percent working remotely: 7.58%

11. Austin, Texas

Unemployment rate: 3.95%

Median earnings: $36,585

3-year income growth: 34.97%

Percent working remotely: 26.54%

10. Sunnyvale, California

Unemployment rate: 3.45%

Median earnings: $111,905

3-year income growth: 31.12%

Percent working remotely: 15.33%

9. Westminster, Colorado

Unemployment rate: 1.69%

Median earnings: $70,711

3-year income growth: 37.73%

Percent working remotely: 19.35%

8. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Unemployment rate: 2.36%

Median earnings: $56,858

3-year income growth: 29.89%

Percent working remotely: 9.26%

7. Cary, North Carolina

Unemployment rate: 3.50%

Median earnings: $47,203

3-year income growth: 23.13%

Percent working remotely: 27.96%

6. Santa Clara, California

Unemployment rate: 4.24%

Median earnings: $90,384

3-year income growth: 40.97%

Percent working remotely: 16.51%

5. Carmel, Indiana

Unemployment rate: 2.27%

Median earnings: $101,038

3-year income growth: 21.49%

Percent working remotely: 27.75%

4. Bellevue, Washington

Unemployment rate: 4.29%

Median earnings: $76,228

3-year income growth: 32.43%

Percent working remotely: 24.59%

3. Seattle, Washington

Unemployment rate: 4.17%

Median earnings: $46,443

3-year income growth: 35.99%

Percent working remotely: 26.87%

2. Richmond, Virginia

Unemployment rate: 3.80%

Median earnings: $73,138

3-year income growth: 49.47%

Percent working remotely: 15.81%

1. Bend, Oregon

Unemployment rate: 3.16%

Median earnings: $51,382

3-year income growth: 44.22%

Percent working remotely: 26.89%

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