Austin rated fifth among 182 U.S. cities in a study by the personal finance website WalletHub that ranked the cities’ job-market strength based on indicators such as employment growth and starting pay.
The Texas capital earned a score of 63.6 out of 100 on a system containing 31 measurements. The ranking’s scores were calculated using job market criteria (80%) and socio-economic criteria (20%). The latter include calculations such as housing affordability and average commute times.
Austin finished eighth in the job market category and 15th in socioeconomics. The rankings reflect job opportunities within the city limits and don’t include surrounding metro areas.
Nationwide, the jobless rate stands at 4.2%, reflecting a rebound over the 2020 rate of nearly 15% at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Those graduating from college in 2022 should benefit from the upbeat jobs market, WalletHub reported. Companies say they will hire 26.6% more new grads this year than they hired from the Class of 2021, according to National Association of Colleges and Employers data.
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The 50 Cities With the Best Job Opportunities
| Overall Rank | City | Total Score | Job Market | Socio-economics |
| 1 | Columbia, MD | 68.41 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Salt Lake City, UT | 66.81 | 1 | 23 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | 65.24 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Portland, ME | 64.46 | 10 | 4 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | 63.6 | 8 | 15 |
| 6 | Orlando, FL | 63.54 | 4 | 24 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | 63.44 | 11 | 9 |
| 8 | Scottsdale, AZ | 63.43 | 7 | 17 |
| 9 | San Jose, CA | 62.63 | 9 | 37 |
| 10 | Nashua, NH | 62.19 | 17 | 10 |
| 11 | Plano, TX | 61.97 | 12 | 32 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, PA | 61.69 | 19 | 13 |
| 13 | South Burlington, VT | 61.57 | 27 | 7 |
| 14 | Columbia, SC | 61.42 | 5 | 98 |
| 15 | Overland Park, KS | 61.35 | 28 | 8 |
| 16 | Chandler, AZ | 61.34 | 16 | 19 |
| 17 | Boise, ID | 61.18 | 24 | 14 |
| 18 | Warwick, RI | 61.05 | 23 | 16 |
| 19 | Charleston, SC | 60.55 | 14 | 63 |
| 20 | Des Moines, IA | 60.22 | 21 | 49 |
| 21 | Huntsville, AL | 60.2 | 6 | 122 |
| 22 | West Valley City, UT | 60.2 | 22 | 46 |
| 23 | Tempe, AZ | 59.83 | 30 | 20 |
| 24 | Minneapolis, MN | 59.73 | 58 | 5 |
| 25 | Madison, WI | 59.57 | 72 | 2 |
| 26 | Spokane, WA | 59.52 | 20 | 76 |
| 27 | Atlanta, GA | 59.49 | 15 | 97 |
| 28 | St. Louis, MO | 59.15 | 13 | 119 |
| 29 | Raleigh, NC | 58.99 | 42 | 22 |
| 30 | Tacoma, WA | 58.8 | 26 | 84 |
| 31 | Gilbert, AZ | 58.78 | 31 | 55 |
| 32 | Washington, DC | 58.72 | 40 | 33 |
| 33 | Virginia Beach, VA | 58.56 | 45 | 30 |
| 34 | Boston, MA | 58.52 | 32 | 60 |
| 35 | Irving, TX | 58.49 | 18 | 109 |
| 36 | Miami, FL | 58.35 | 24 | 101 |
| 37 | Tampa, FL | 58.07 | 48 | 45 |
| 38 | Fremont, CA | 58.02 | 52 | 41 |
| 39 | Pearl City, HI | 57.98 | 34 | 67 |
| 40 | Portland, OR | 57.62 | 78 | 11 |
| 41 | Reno, NV | 57.59 | 55 | 51 |
| 42 | Grand Prairie, TX | 57.57 | 35 | 92 |
| 43 | Denver, CO | 57.49 | 69 | 18 |
| 44 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 57.32 | 64 | 28 |
| 45 | Vancouver, WA | 56.84 | 41 | 102 |
| 46 | Charlotte, NC | 56.81 | 38 | 103 |
| 47 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 56.76 | 51 | 87 |
| 48 | Manchester, NH | 56.73 | 65 | 50 |
| 49 | Glendale, AZ | 56.66 | 46 | 94 |
| 50 | Cheyenne, WY | 56.57 | 71 | 42 |
Source: WalletHub.com
