25 Best Markets to Find a Job

[Oracle of Delphi]

Job seekers with no ties to any particular location often seek jobs in big cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or San Francisco. But are these the places where they're most likely to find a job?

Not according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job seekers are better off looking in such cities as Sioux Falls, S.D., Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Rapid City, S.D. All of these cities registered the lowest unemployment rates in July 2008.

Low unemployment rates seem harder to come by in today's economy. Jobless rates were higher in 338 of the 369 U.S. metropolitan areas surveyed this July, which means 92 percent of cities have seen an increase in their unemployment rates. Only 25 areas reported lower rates, while six areas had no change. The national unemployment rate in July, 6 percent, was up 1.1 percent from 4.9 percent last year.

Only nine areas registered rates below 3 percent this July and just 40 cities had unemployment rates below 4 percent, down from 91 areas at the same time last year. In total, 153 cities had an unemployment rate higher than the average, 205 areas had rates below it and 11 areas had the same rate.

Despite these startling figures, several cities have low unemployment rates and sizable job growth. Here are 25 cities with the lowest unemployment rates and the job growth they're experiencing, according to the BLS.

1. Sioux Falls, S.D.

Unemployment rate: 2.3 percent

Last year: 2.3 percent

Job growth: 1.6 percent

2. Idaho Falls, Idaho

Unemployment rate: 2.4 percent

Last year: 1.6 percent

Job growth: N/A

3. Rapid City, S.D.

Unemployment rate: 2.5 percent

Last year: 2.6 percent

Job growth: 0.8 percent

4. Bismarck, N.D.

Unemployment rate: 2.6 percent

Last year: 2.5 percent

Job growth: 2.0 percent

5. Houma, La.

Unemployment rate: 2.7 percent

Last year: 2.9 percent

Job growth: 2.4 percent

6. Morgantown, W.Va.

Unemployment rate: 2.8 percent

Last year: 3.4 percent

Job growth: 2.7 percent

7. Logan, Utah

Unemployment rate: 2.8 percent

Last year: 2.3 percent

Job growth: N/A

8. Fargo, N.D.

Unemployment rate: 2.9 percent

Last year: 2.6 percent

Job growth: 1.3 percent

9. Casper, Wyo.

Unemployment rate: 3.0 percent

Last year: 2.7 percent

Job growth: N/A

10. Billings, Mont.

Unemployment rate: 3.0 percent

Last year: 2.3 percent

Job growth: 1.7 percent

11. Lafayette, La.

Unemployment rate: 3.0 percent

Last year: 3.1 percent

Job growth: 2.4 percent

12. Ames, Iowa

Unemployment rate: 3.1 percent

Last year: 2.8 percent

Job growth: N/A

13. Midland, Texas

Unemployment rate: 3.1 percent

Last year: 3.2 percent

Job growth: 2.4 percent

14. Iowa City, Iowa

Unemployment rate: 3.3 percent

Last year: 2.8 percent

Job growth: 1.5 percent

15. Lincoln, Neb.

Unemployment rate: 3.3 percent

Last year: 3.2 percent

Job growth: 1.2 percent

16. Great Falls, Mont.

Unemployment rate: 3.4 percent

Last year: 2.7 percent

Job growth: N/A

17. Charlestown, W.Va.

Unemployment rate: 3.4 percent

Last year: 4.1 percent

Job growth: 0.5 percent

18. Des Moines, Iowa

Unemployment rate: 3.5 percent

Last year: 3.1 percent

Job growth: 0.7 percent

19. Portsmouth, N.H.

Unemployment rate: 3.5 percent

Last year: 3.1 percent

Job growth: 0.0 percent

20. Missoula, Mont.

Unemployment rate: 3.5 percent

Last year: 2.6 percent

Job growth: -2.0 percent

21. Salt Lake City

Unemployment rate: 3.5 percent

Last year: 2.7 percent

Job growth: 0.9 percent

22. Provo, Utah

Unemployment rate: 3.6 percent

Last year: 2.8 percent

Job growth: -1.2 percent

23. Sioux City, Iowa

Unemployment rate: 3.6 percent

Last year: 3.6 percent

Job growth: -1.6 percent

24. Odessa, Texas

Unemployment rate: 3.7 percent

Last year: 3.8 percent

Job growth: 3.5 percent

25. Pocatello, Idaho

Unemployment rate: 3.7 percent

Last year: 2.4 percent

Job growth: N/A

Link: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1...teId=cbmsn41644

[BigPontiac]

Some type of career change in your future you'd like to share?

[Oracle of Delphi]

Some type of career change in your future you'd like to share?

Not at all, I hear things are bad back home in North America. Just trying to do my part for my friends back home.

[Drew Dowdell]

Are these based off of unemployment figures for how many are collecting? If so... it's horribly inaccurate.

[vonVeezelsnider]

You forgot Calgary... 2.1% Unemployment.

[mustang84]

It appears to be pretty accurate. I know for a fact that Iowa's unemployment rate is about 4.2% as of September, while some other states are approaching 8% right now. And I'd wager that most of the unemployment are in the small towns and rural areas where jobs are trickling away. All the states listed except for one are central US states, which typically ride out both the booms and busts.

Wellmark is currently building a new HQ in downtown Des Moines and Wells Fargo, Aviva, and Allied have all expanded workforce and built new buildings within the last couple years. Google has a new data center under construction across the river from Omaha, and Gallup is also expanding its Omaha campus. Living around here, it really doesn't feel like we are in a recession...my company is having its second best year ever (last year was our best).

Edited October 31, 2008 by mustang84

[regfootball]

bismarck fargo sioux falls etc rapid city

sure, if you really want to LIVE there......

tell me if those jobs pay anything and then we'll talk

[vonVeezelsnider]

It appears to be pretty accurate. I know for a fact that Iowa's unemployment rate is about 4.2% as of September,

Wow that's pretty good considering the stories I hear about from my friends down in Cali. I think that province wide we're near 2.8-3% because of the rural population outside of Calgary and Edmonton where the whole unemployment picture is pretty good.

[Lamar]

West Virginia?

Your list fails. Especially Morgantown.

[Robert Hall]

Hmmm..none of those cities seem very appealing to me...not places I'd seriously consider living.

[regfootball]

sioux falls is a nice place.

if you look at the list of these places, please note, these are not considered 'urban' type towns. take that to mean whatever you want. essentially these places are nuts and bolts and without a lot of the nonsense, urban 'issues' and political BS that goes on in other urban centers.

a lot of these towns have universities. that helps a lot.

Edited October 31, 2008 by regfootball

[daves87rs]

I don't remember Michigan's last unemployment rate...I don't think I want to....

The part that sucks is that I am stuck here for a while.....

[regfootball]

if i can make another comment, it generally shows places that are not on the coasts. midwest quite a bit. not a lot of leeches on society deciding they don't have to work and be supported. perhaps these places are where people are simply more hard working and have a much better personal ethic.

[knightfan26917]

tell me if those jobs pay anything and then we'll talk

Kinda what I was thinking, too....

Course, being in a less congested area traffic wise IS appealing....

[Robert Hall]

I've been to SLC, it's pretty nice, reminds me of Denver, but on the opposite side of the Rockies. I know people that have lived in Missoula and Casper, they moved to Denver for better opportunities. A problem I would have with most of those places is a lack of a close international international airport....I travel enough that I wouldn't want to live more than 30 min from a major hub. I like being in the burbs of a reasonably large metro area with plenty of office parks and cubicles, lots of ethnic restaurants, major chains (Target, Starbucks, etc) and a climate that is not too cold or too humid.

Edited October 31, 2008 by moltar

[regfootball]

Kinda what I was thinking, too....

Course, being in a less congested area traffic wise IS appealing....

lots of town that size don't have great freeway systems yet

[mustang84]

Well, they don't have many freeways because they don't really need them. In CR for example you can get anywhere on the fringe of the city to downtown within 20 minutes, even with traffic, and we have about 250,000 living here. All we have is 1 interstate that runs north-south and a four lane divided highway that loops around the south side of the city.

Most midwestern cities under 400,000 are pretty accessible and have nice commutes.

[CARBIZ]

The moral of the story: better to be a big fish in a little pond than a small fish in a big pond.

A friend of mine is a lawyer and his wife owns 2 or 3 retail locations in Timmins, Ontario - arguably the armpit of the Universe (although Shania Twain hails from there!) They have two seasons in Timmins: snow and mosquitos.

However, my friends have a 16,000 sq ft home, complete with indoor pool, jacuzzi that seats 10, sauna, 40X20 theatre room, 2 story living room, etc. - all 5 minutes from Timmins airport. They make a ton of money, the cost of living is probably a 1/3 of living anywhere near Toronto and a 1 hr flight takes them to Toronto international airport - not much longer than it would take me to fight traffic from downtown to the airport. They work 6 or 7 days a week, then bugger off to the Bahamas or Mexico or wherever a few times a year for 1 or 2 week holidays. Really, not a bad life. They will even fly into Toronto for a weekend of shopping.

I thought they were nuts when they moved there, but all in all it has been a great life for them. They've made a lot of friends and their home cost a fraction of what it would be to build in the Toronto area - they have 80 acres that backs onto a river.

I wouldn't want to be poor in a small city, but being well off in a small city can be a very, very good life.

[regfootball]

Well, they don't have many freeways because they don't really need them. In CR for example you can get anywhere on the fringe of the city to downtown within 20 minutes, even with traffic, and we have about 250,000 living here. All we have is 1 interstate that runs north-south and a four lane divided highway that loops around the south side of the city.

Most midwestern cities under 400,000 are pretty accessible and have nice commutes.

Fargo is traffic hell in spots but has two main interstate spines.

sioux falls has a nice ringlet around the populated parts.

[Lamar]

a lot of these towns have universities. that helps a lot.

Morgantown...

[daves87rs]

Well, they don't have many freeways because they don't really need them. In CR for example you can get anywhere on the fringe of the city to downtown within 20 minutes, even with traffic, and we have about 250,000 living here. All we have is 1 interstate that runs north-south and a four lane divided highway that loops around the south side of the city.

Most midwestern cities under 400,000 are pretty accessible and have nice commutes.

Nice...