This Oregon city has the best job market in the US, study says

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

Financial data firm SmartAsset recently ranked 348 U.S. cities based on how desirable their job markets are. The study used Census Bureau data from 2023 — the most recent available — and factored in everything from unemployment to median earnings, wage growth, remote work opportunities and more.

Bend, Oregon, ranked first overall thanks to its relatively low unemployment (3.1%) and strong wage growth, with the median income increasing 44% from 2020 to 2023. Known for its outdoor activities, the central Oregon city also boasts a good work-life balance, thanks to a brief average commute of 16 minutes and a high share of remote workers (27%).

Richmond, Virginia, secured second place and posted the highest earnings growth in the analysis, with a 50% increase in the average median income between 2020 and 2023.

SmartAsset also took health care into account and found that the job market in Santa Clara, California, offers the most coverage — 88.6% of workers had private health insurance through their employer.

If a short commute is your top priority, look no further than Wichita Falls, Texas, where the average is just 14 minutes.

10 – Sunnyvale, California

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

SUNNYVALE, CA: OCTOBER 21: Apple Park’s spaceship campus is seen from this drone view in Sunnyvale, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. (Photo by Jane Tyska/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)

  • Unemployment rate: 3.45%
  • Median earnings: $111,905
  • 3-year income growth: 31.12%
  • Percent working remotely: 15.33%

9 – Westminster, Colorado

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

WESTMINSTER, CO – MARCH 5: People unleash their dogs at Westminster Hills Open Space Dog Park in Westminster, Colorado on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

  • Unemployment rate: 1.69%
  • Median earnings: $70,711
  • 3-year income growth: 37.73%
  • Percent working remotely: 19.35%

8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

Falls Park in downtown Sioux Falls South Dakota. (Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

  • Unemployment rate: 2.36%
  • Median earnings: $56,858
  • 3-year income growth: 29.89%
  • Percent working remotely: 9.26%

7 – Cary, North Carolina

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

Cary is a suburb of Raleigh. Raleigh’s downtown skyline is seen from The Dillion’s ninth floor lobby terrace open to the public January 02, 2019 in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

  • Unemployment rate: 3.50%
  • Median earnings: $47,203
  • 3-year income growth: 23.13%
  • Percent working remotely: 27.96%

6 – Santa Clara, California

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

UNITED STATES – SEPTEMBER 25: Mission Santa Clara de Asís, Santa Clara, California (Photo by Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

  • Unemployment rate: 4.24%
  • Median earnings: $90,384
  • 3-year income growth: 40.97%
  • Percent working remotely: 16.51%

5 – Carmel, Indiana

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

CARMEL, IN – SEPTEMBER 11: A course scenic view of the 16th hole during the final round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club on September 11, 2016 in Carmel, Indiana. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

  • Unemployment rate: 2.27%
  • Median earnings: $101,038
  • 3-year income growth: 21.49%
  • Percent working remotely: 27.75%

4 – Bellevue, Washington

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

The artwork ‘Piloti’ by THEVERYMANY studio in front of the Rising Office Tower building, where Pokemon Co. leases office space, at Bellevue Downtown Park in Bellevue, Washington, US, on Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Photographer: Grant Hindsley/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

  • Unemployment rate: 4.29%
  • Median earnings: $76,228
  • 3-year income growth: 32.43%
  • Percent working remotely: 24.59%

3 – Seattle, Washington

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

Two people and a dog walk below a pier with the Seattle skyline in the background on Friday, June 7, 2024, during one of the lowest tides of the year. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

  • Unemployment rate: 4.17%
  • Median earnings: $46,443
  • 3-year income growth: 35.99%
  • Percent working remotely: 26.87%

2 – Richmond, Virginia

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

Skyline, Richmond Virginia. (Photo by: Robert Knopes/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

  • Unemployment rate: 3.80%
  • Median earnings: $73,138
  • 3-year income growth: 49.47%
  • Percent working remotely: 15.81%

1 – Bend, Oregon

10 – Sunnyvale, California, 9 – Westminster, Colorado, 8 – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 7 – Cary, North Carolina, 6 – Santa Clara, California, 5 – Carmel, Indiana, 4 – Bellevue, Washington, 3 – Seattle, Washington, 2 – Richmond, Virginia, 1 – Bend, Oregon

UNITED STATES – 2022/05/07: Street scene in the Old Town Historic District in Bend, Oregon, United States. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

  • Unemployment rate: 3.16%
  • Median earnings: $51,382
  • 3-year income growth: 44.22%
  • Percent working remotely: 26.89%
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