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The 5 best cities in America to find a job right now — and the 5 worst

By Ben Kesslen
Published

If you’re looking for a new job in 2025, where you live can significantly impact your search.

WalletHub compiled a list of the best and worst cities in the U.S. to find a job. The company examined 180 cities across 31 key metrics, including job opportunities, employment growth, starting salaries, unemployment rate, and median annual income. It also considered some more unique metrics, like the number of jobs in a city at risk of automation, job satisfaction, yearly transportation costs, and average commute times.

“It’s important to look at more than just the number of jobs available or the unemployment rate when determining the best place to find employment,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.


Lupo said that “quality matters just as much as quantity” and secondary factors needed to be considered too.

Check out which cities were rated the five best for job seekers and which cities were ranked the five worst.

5th Worst: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

4th Worst: Augusta, Georgia

3rd Worst: San Bernardino, California

2nd Worst: Detroit, Michigan

Worst: Memphis, Tennessee

5th Best: Portland, Maine

4th Best: South Burlington, Vermont

3rd Best: Columbia, Maryland

2nd Best: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Best: Scottsdale, Arizona

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