Employment Spot

Worst City for Employment

Are you convinced that you live in the worst city for employment? Does it seem impossible for you to find a job in your area? Well, here’s some good news – maybe you’re not the problem. If you want to know the worst city for employment, it really depends who you ask. The answer changes based on how you define “worst” – is it the city with the highest unemployment rate, the lowest projected job growth, or the highest cost of living in combination with the lowest average salary? Forbes has ranked the 100 largest cities based on median income, unemployment rate, income growth, cost of living and job growth. According to this list, the best city for employment is Salt Lake City, UT, and the worst city for employment is Detroit, MI.

10 Best Cities for Employment:

• Salt Lake City, UT
• Wichita, KS
• Austin, TX
• Atlanta, GA
• Fort Worth, TX
• Indianapolis, IN
• Houston, TX
• Omaha, NE
• Raleigh, NC
• Seattle, WA

10 Worst Cities for Employment:

• Detroit, MI
• Fresno, CA
• Las Vegas, NV
• Stockton, CA
• Youngstown, OH
• Bakersfield, CA
• Warren, MI
• Buffalo, NY
• Providence, RI
• Toledo, OH

For the complete list, visit the Forbes “Best Cities for Jobs in 2008″ article.

If you are looking for more specific information on the best and worst cities for employment, Forbes has also ranked the top 200 major metropolitan areas in terms of job growth. In addition to job growth, you may also want to isolate unemployment rates when determining the worst city for employment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides information on unemployment rates in metropolitan areas, giving you yet another perspective on the best and worst city for employment.

Best Cities for Employment: The best city for employment in terms of job growth is Cape Coral, FL. When looking at unemployment rates, the best city for jobs is Logan, UT, with an unemployment rate of only 2.2 percent.

• Metropolitan Cities with Highest Job Growth
  • Cape Coral, FL
  • Las Vegas, NV
  • McAllen, TX
  • Port St. Lucie, FL
  • Naples, FL
  • Ocala, FL
  • Riverside, CA
  • Provo, UT
  • Myrtle Beach, SC
  • Phoenix AZ
• Metropolitan Areas with the Lowest Unemployment Rate
  • Logan, UT (2.2 percent)
  • Idaho Falls, ID (2.3 percent)
  • Sioux Falls, SD (2.3 percent)
  • Iowa City, IA (2.4 percent)
  • Midland, TX (2.4 percent)
  • Ames, IA (2.5 percent)
  • Casper, WY (2.5 percent)
  • Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA (2.5 percent)
  • Huntsville, AL (2.5 percent)
  • Rapid City, SD (2.5 percent)

Worst Cities for Employment: Based on job growth, the worst city for employment is New Orleans, LA. In terms of unemployment rate, the worst city for employment is El Centro, CA, with an unemployment rate of 18.4 percent (keep in mind that the U.S. average is 4.8 percent).

• Metropolitan Cities with the Lowest Job Growth
  • New Orleans, LA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Flint, MI
  • Canton, OH
  • Warren, MI
  • Hickory, NC
  • Lansing, MI
  • Dayton, OH
  • Youngstown, OH
  • Ann Arbor, MI
• Metropolitan Areas with the Highest Unemployment Rate
  • El Centro, CA (18.4 percent)
  • Merced, CA (12.3 percent)
  • Yuba City, CA (11.8 percent)
  • Yuma, AZ (11.2 percent)
  • Modesto, CA (10.7 percent)
  • Visalia-Porterville, CA (10.3 percent)
  • Hanford-Corcoran, CA (10.2 percent)
  • Fresno, CA (10.0 percent)
  • Bakersfield, CA (9.7 percent)
  • Stockton, CA (9.6 percent)
  • Madera, CA (9.6 percent)

When determining the worst city for employment, you may also want to factor in other issues related to what it would be like living in each city. For example, a city may have a very low unemployment rate, but if it also has extremely high housing costs you may not consider it to be all that great. Here are the best and worst cities for employment based on income growth, housing costs, and crime rates, as state by Forbes “200 Best Places for Business and Careers”.

• Income Growth
  • The Best: Hagerstown, MD; Mercer County, NJ; Portland, ME; Seattle, WA; Fort Collins, CO
  • The Worst: Shreveport, LA; Greenville, SC; Spartanburg, SC; Mobile, AL; Montgomery, AL
• Housing Costs
  • The Best: Huntington, WV; Peoria, IL; Erie, PA; Buffalo, NY; Fort Wayne, IN
  • The Worst: San Jose, CA; Santa Ana, CA; San Francisco, CA; Santa Cruz, CA; Oakland, CA
• Crime Rates
  • The Best: Rockingham County, NH; Edison, NJ; Cambridge, MA; Poughkeepsie, NY; Holland, MI
  • The Worst: Myrtle Beach, SC; Memphis, TN; Little Rock, AR; Corpus Christi, TX; Stockton, CA

For complete lists, see the article here.