Finding the Best States for Jobs in 2019

Finding the Best States for Jobs in 2019Finding the Best States for Jobs in 2019What statesare best for getting hired? Are you wondering which locations provide the best job opportunities? The answer will vary depending on the occupations andindustriesyoure targeting. However, theaverage wagesin various locations, trends inwage growth and stagnation,levels of unemployment,and job growth can allhelp workerslikeyou to identify areas with the most robust economic activity. Average Weekly U.S. Wages TheBureau of Labor Statistics(BLS) produces quarterly reports on theaverage(mean) weekly wagesin various locations. The BLS wage report by state for the third quarter(Q3) of 2018 indicated a wide range of wages across states. For example, stateswithaverage weekly wageson the low end comprised Mississippi $754, Idaho $805, Arkansas $811, Montana $815, South Dakota $827, South Carolina $834, Maine $851, New Mexico $855, Kentucky $855, Kansas $867, Nebraska $873, Oklahoma $874, Iowa $887, Ve rmont $892, and West Virginia $894. Stateswithaverage weekly wageson the high end were District of Columbia $1,807, Massachusetts $1,305, Washington $1,280, New York $1,272, California $1,260, Connecticut $1,209, New Jersey $1,181, Maryland $1,130, Colorado $1,104, Illinois $1,087, Virginia $1,082, and Minnesota $1,074. Below, you can binnensee a breakdown of the 10 highest and 10 lowest weekly wage averages by state. The national average for wages was $1,055 per week. Read about thecomplete list of wages by state. States with the Highest Increases/Decreases in Wages The same report also identifies the states with the greatest year-on-year increase and decrease in wages. States with the greatest increases wereWest Virginia 8.1%, Washington 6.2%, North Dakota 4.4%, New York 4.2%, Minnesota 4.2%, New Mexico 3.9%, Tennessee 3.9%, Oregon 3.8%, California 3.8%, Maine 3.7%, Louisiana 3.7%, Iowa 3.7%, and Alaska 3.7%. States with the lowest wage growth included Rhode Island -1.3%, So uth Carolina 0.8%, New Hampshire 1.7%, New Jersey 2.1%, Kentucky 2.2%, Hawaii 2.4%, Delaware 2.4%, Indiana 2.4%, Maryland 2.4%, Nevada 2.4%, and Connecticut 2.5%. Below, you can see a breakdown of the biggest year-on-year increases and decreases in wages by state. Average weekly wages for the nation as a whole increased by 3.3% for the periodQ3,2017,toQ3,2018. Thelarge metro areas/countieswith the highest weekly wages were Santa Clara, CA $2,460 San Mateo, CA $2,363 San Francisco $2,097 New York, NY $1,997 Washington, D.C. $1807 King, WA $1,752 Suffolk, MA $1,706 Arlington, VA $1,691 Fairfax, VA $1588 Middlesex, MA $1563 and Somerset, NJ $1487. Where the Jobs Are (and Arent) by State TheBLSunemployment figures for March 2019reveal very significant state-to-statedifferences. The states with the lowest unemployment satzs were North Dakota 2.3%, Vermont 2.3%, Iowa 2.4%, New Hampshire 2.4%, Hawaii 2.8%, Nebraska 2.8%, South Dakota 2.8%, Idaho 2.9%,Virginia 2.9%, Wisconsin 2.9%, Ut ah 3%, and Massachusetts 3%. The states with the highest unemploymentrateswere Alaska 6.5%, District of Columbia 5.6%, West Virginia 5.1%, New Mexico 5.1%, Arizona 5%, Mississippi 4.9%, Louisiana 4.7%, Washington 4.6%, Ohio 4.4%, Oregon 4.4%, and Illinois 4.4%. You can compare the highest and lowest unemployment rates by state in the map below. The national average unemployment ratestood at 3.9% for March 2019. You can read a complete list ofunemployment by state. Job growth year over year is another way to evaluate how attractive the job market is in a particular area. The following states had the highest job growth on a percentage basis from September 2017 to September 2018Florida 4.6%, Utah 3.4%, New Hampshire 3.4%, Idaho 3.0%, South Carolina 2.8%, Arizona 2.8%, Texas 2.6%, Washington 2.4%, Colorado 2.1%, and California 1.8%. The national average job-growthrate during that period was 1.6%. You can read a complete list of thejob growth in all states. Unemployment by Metro Are a Metropolitan areas with thelowest unemployment include Ames, Iowa 1.5% Burlington, VT 1.8% Iowa City, IA 1.9% Midland, TX 2.1% Madison, WI 2.4% Boulder, CO 2.5% Fayetteville, AR 2.5% Logan, UT 2.5% Odessa, TX 2.5% Fort Collins, CO 2.6% Manchester, NH 2.6% Nashville, NH 2.6% Portsmouth, NH 2.6% and Sheboygan, WI 2.6%. Thehighest unemploymentrateswere recorded in El Centro, CA 17.8% Yuma, Arizona 12.1% Visalia-Porterville, CA 12.1% Ocean City 11.5% Merced, CA 11.0% Hanford-Corcoran, CA10.3% Salinas,CA10.1% Bakersfield, CA 10.1% Fresno, CA 9.4% and Yuba City, AZ 9.4%. Large metropolitan areaswith the lowest unemployment rateswere Nashville-Davidson- Murfreesboro- Franklin, TN 2.6% Austin-Red Rock, TX 2.7% Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA/NH 2.7% Denver-Arora-Lakewood, CO 2.9% Oklahoma City, OK 3.0% Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 3.0% Salt Lake City 3.0% San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 3.0% San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 3.0%andSan Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 3.1%. Major cities with th e highest unemployment rates include Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 4.5% Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY 4.5% Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 4.4% Cleveland-Elyria, OH 4.4% Sacramento- Roseville- Arden-Arcade, CA 4.3% Rochester, NY 4.2% Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 4.2% Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 4.2% Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 4.1% Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 4.1% Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 4.1%and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 4.1%. You can also find a complete list ofunemployment by metropolitan area. Determine the Location Quotient When evaluating the best location for jobs for your situation, you also need to take into account the concentration of opportunities in your target field. There are somecities that have more job opportunities than others,where economic growth has stalled. There are also locations that have ahigher percentage of jobs that pay well. For example, Hollywood and Toronto have many more opportunities in film and entertainment than most areas. Hartford, CT, is an insurance center. Massachusetts and New Jersey are great areas for pharma and biotechnology. New York City is a center for finance and theater. One technique for assessing the job market in various target locations is tovisit Indeed.com and conduct searchesin your career fields of interest for your preferred locations. Identify the number of jobs in your field as a percentage of the total number of jobs in each location to determine the concentration of relevantjobs within those locations. The BLS produces a measure of how concentrated various fields are in different locations. You can check out theoccupations with the highest location quotient for various areas here. Calculate the Cost of Living Factoring in the cost of living can enhance your analysis regarding what you can earn in different locations. TheCost of Living IndexandCost of Living Calculatorcan help you to determine andtocomparethe cost of living in different targ et locations. In addition to adjusting income for the cost of living, you can use avariety of other calculatorsto determine your salary, benefits, and a net paycheck in a new location. Figure Out the Logistics If youre thinking thata new location would be worth exploring, you can readtips for finding a job in a new citythatwill help you toget started on the road to a new career.