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.

About the Author

Cameron Huddleston

Cameron Huddleston is an award-winning journalist with more than 18 years of experience writing about personal finance. Her work has appeared in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Business Insider, Chicago Tribune, Fortune, MSN, USA Today and many more print and online publications. She also is the author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations With Your Parents About Their Finances.

U.S. News & World Report named her one of the top personal finance experts to follow on Twitter, and AOL Daily Finance named her one of the top 20 personal finance influencers to follow on Twitter. She has appeared on CNBC, CNN, MSNBC and “Fox & Friends” and has been a guest on ABC News Radio, Wall Street Journal Radio, NPR, WTOP in Washington, D.C., KGO in San Francisco and other personal finance radio shows nationwide. She also has been interviewed and quoted as an expert in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, MarketWatch and more.

She has an MA in economic journalism from American University and BA in journalism and Russian studies from Washington & Lee University.

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