Jobs-listing website Glassdoor’s Best Cities for Jobs list for 2015 is topped by Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Why? “Raleigh has long held a reputation for tech companies looking to flee the expensive and congested Northeast corridor, with companies like IBM, Cisco, and SAS setting up shop in North Carolina,” Glassdoor’s chief economist Andrew Chamberlain told Fast Company.
The three criteria Glassdoor uses to determine its ranking for best cities for jobs:
- Hiring opportunity: Determined by the ratio of active job openings to population data according to the U.S. Office of Management & Budget.
- Cost of living: Determined by the ratio of median annual base salary as reported by local employees over the past year to median metro home value, according to the most recent Zillow Home Value Index for All Homes.
- Job satisfaction: Determined by a minimum of 1,000 company reviews shared by local employees on Glassdoor over the past year.
Andrew Chamberlain
Chief Economist, Glassdoor
Top 25 U.S. Cities for Jobs
- Raleigh, NC – Glassdoor Job Score: 4.1
- Number of Job Openings: 24,146
- Population: 1,242,974
- Median Base Salary: $50,950
- Median Home Value: $198,400
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Kansas City, MO – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 28,786
- Population: 2,071,133
- Median Base Salary: $46,000
- Median Home Value: $138,500
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Oklahoma City, OK – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 16,759
- Population: 1,336,767
- Median Base Salary: $38,100
- Median Home Value: $129,400
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Austin, TX – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 33,198
- Population: 1,943,299
- Median Base Salary: $50,000
- Median Home Value: $226,400
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Seattle, WA – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.9
- Number of Job Openings: 69,423
- Population: 3,671,478
- Median Base Salary: $70,000
- Median Home Value: $344,700
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Salt Lake City, UT – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.8
- Number of Job Openings: 17,970
- Population: 1,153,340
- Median Base Salary: $44,000
- Median Home Value: $224,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- San Jose, CA – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 51,439
- Population: 1,952,872
- Median Base Salary: $99,000
- Median Home Value: $863,800
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Louisville, KY – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 16,295
- Population: 1,269,702
- Median Base Salary: $40,000
- Median Home Value: $131,100
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- San Antonio, TX – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 29,980
- Population: 2,328,652
- Median Base Salary: $40,000
- Median Home Value: $147,600
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- Washington, D.C. – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 116,770
- Population: 6,033,737
- Median Base Salary: $61,000
- Median Home Value: $361,200
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- St. Louis, MO – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 31,365
- Population: 2,806,207
- Median Base Salary: $45,000
- Median Home Value: $133,200
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.3
- San Francisco, CA – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.7
- Number of Job Openings: 94,933
- Population: 4,594,060
- Median Base Salary: $70,000
- Median Home Value: $728,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.5
- Columbus, OH – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 25,242
- Population: 1,994,536
- Median Base Salary: $43,000
- Median Home Value: $146,700
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 102,311
- Population: 6,954,330
- Median Base Salary: $50,000
- Median Home Value: $157,900
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Boston, MA – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 86,565
- Population: 4,732,161
- Median Base Salary: $56,000
- Median Home Value: $367,600
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.4
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.6
- Number of Job Openings: 48,231
- Population: 3,495,176
- Median Base Salary: $52,000
- Median Home Value: $210,300
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Atlanta, GA – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.5
- Number of Job Openings: 69,642
- Population: 5,614,323
- Median Base Salary: $49,180
- Median Home Value: $155,200
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Memphis, TN – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.4
- Number of Job Openings: 14,776
- Population: 1,343,230
- Median Base Salary: $42,000
- Median Home Value: $107,000
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Indianapolis, IN – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.3
- Number of Job Openings: 23,863
- Population: 1,971,274
- Median Base Salary: $44,000
- Median Home Value: $130,100
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Chicago, IL – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.3
- Number of Job Openings: 124,633
- Population: 9,554,598
- Median Base Salary: $50,000
- Median Home Value: $186,900
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Houston, TX – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.3
- Number of Job Openings: 74,442
- Population: 6,490,180
- Median Base Salary: $52,000
- Median Home Value: $157,900
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Baltimore, MD – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.3
- Number of Job Openings: 45,558
- Population: 2,785,874
- Median Base Salary: $46,000
- Median Home Value: $244,100
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Richmond, VA – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.2
- Number of Job Openings: 17,933
- Population: 1,260,029
- Median Base Salary: $45,000
- Median Home Value: $186,300
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2
- Pittsburgh, PA – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.1
- Number of Job Openings: 29,456
- Population: 2,355,968
- Median Base Salary: $43,000
- Median Home Value: $124,500
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.1
- Nashville, TN – Glassdoor Job Score: 3.1
- Number of Job Openings: 27,850
- Population: 1,792,649
- Median Base Salary: $41,600
- Median Home Value: $176,700
- Job Satisfaction Rating: 3.2