7 best cities for job seekers in 2017
Job hunters often narrow their searches to America's biggest cities, but they might want to cast a glance at some of the country's midsize metropolises.
The best locations tend to be smaller, Midwestern cities where jobs are plentiful, the cost of living is within reach and worker satisfaction is high, according to a recent report from employment site Glassdoor. While job seekers who want to work in specific industries -- like New York's Wall Street -- may be limited, other workers might benefit from searching farther afield.
"This report is for people who want to be able to find a job they will be satisfied in relatively easily as well as be able to afford living in their city," said Glassdoor Chief Economist Andrew Chamberlain. "While wages in major metropolitan cities tend to normalize based on the local cost of living, the ratio of median base pay to median home value for cities like San Francisco or New York City greatly underpaces that of other midsize cities."
He added, "Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better."
Midwestern cities dominate Glassdoor's list, predominately because of their lower cost of living.
"If a particular city is an expensive place to buy a home or has a low satisfaction rating from its local employees, it likely ranked lower on the list -- even if it's a major metropolis," Chamberlain added.
New York and San Francisco didn't make the top 25 cities for job seekers, even though they have strong labor markets, because of their high cost of living, according to Glassdoor's study.
Read on to learn about the seven best cities for job hunters that Glassdoor pinpointed.
7. Columbus, Ohio
The Columbus metropolitan region, which has about 1.9 million residents, currently has more than 78,000 job openings, according to Glassdoor. Its biggest employers include Ohio State University and the state of Ohio.
The median base salary may be on the low side at $45,000, but the cost of living is moderate, given the median home value stands at $162,500.
The types of jobs available in Columbus include database administrator, restaurant manager and office manager.
6. Memphis
The Southern city, which has about 1.3 million residents in its metropolitan region, currently offers more than 42,300 job openings. Top employers include FedEx (FDX) and International Paper (IP).
The median base salary is $41,200. While that may seem low, the median home value stands at just $119,700, at the bottom of the seven best cities for job seekers.
The type of jobs that are available in Memphis include software engineer, physical therapist and maintenance technician.
5. St. Louis
With a population of about 2.8 million people in its metropolitan area, St. Louis currently has more than 104,000 open jobs. The median base salary stands at $45,600, while the median home value is $148,600.
Top employers include Boeing (BA) and Walmart (WMT).
The types of jobs available in the city are electrical engineer, communications manager and recruiter, according to Glassdoor.
4. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
Home to North Carolina State University and part of the Research Triangle area, Raleigh has about 65,800 open jobs for a metropolitan area with about 1.3 million residents.
The median base salary stands at $50,000, while the median home value is $228,200.
The types of jobs available in the city include mobile developer, physician and civil engineer. Top employers include the software company Red Hat (RHT), North Carolina State University and the public school system.
3. Kansas City, Missouri
The Kansas City metropolitan area is home to about 2.3 million residents and employers such as Garmin (GRMN), the GPS electronics maker, and Hostess Brands, the Twinkie baker.
The city has about 90,600 job openings, and median base pay is $45,000. The median home value is $159,400.
The types of professionals that employers are now hiring include software engineer, research associate and audit manager.
2. Indianapolis
Indianapolis, with a metropolitan area population of 2 million, has about 80,500 job openings at the moment, according to Glassdoor. The median base salary is $43,000, while the median home value is $138,100.
The biggest employers in the city include pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly (LLY) and health insurance company Anthem (ANTM).
The types of roles employers are looking to fill include marketing manager, "devops" engineer and machine operator.
1. Pittsburgh
This former industrial center is now a thriving city focused on health care, tech and clean energy, with more jobs now tied to clean energy than to steel. Its biggest employers include the hospital system UPMC Health Systems and the financial firm BNY Mellon (BK).
Pittsburgh, with a metropolitan area population of 2.3 million residents, has about 95,400 open jobs. The median base salary is $44,000, while the median home value is $138,400.
Typical jobs that employers want to fill include registered nurse, civil engineer and project manager.
The best of the rest
The remaining cities Glassdoor ranked for jobs are:
8. Cincinnati, Ohio
9. Cleveland, Ohio
10. Louisville, Kentucky
11. Birmingham, Alabama
12. Detroit, Michigan
13. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
14. Hartford, Connecticut
15. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
16. Washington, D.C.
17. Seattle, Washington
18. Atlanta, Georgia
19. Baltimore, Maryland
20. Nashville, Tennessee
21. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
22. San Jose, California
23. Chicago, Illinois
24. Charlotte, North Carolina
25. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas