Unemployment rates in the United States are returning to pre-pandemic levels. It's still a job seekers' market, with the economy adding more jobs than expected in September.
Nonfarm payrolls jumped by 254,000 for the month, up from a revised 159,000 in August and better than the 150,000 Dow Jones consensus forecast. Additionally, the unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, down 0.1 percentage point. This news may inspire some job hunters looking for change to move to a new state or city.
MoneyGeek recently ranked the best cities for job hunters with labor forces of at least 300,000 by analyzIng factors including wage and job growth, unemployment rate, labor force size and housing affordability, and determined a total score for each city.
Read more: Resume Genius expert shares 3 tips to avoid job-hunting frustration
Oklahoma City ranked at the top of the list, with high job and earnings growth in the past year alongside low unemployment rates. Other cities at the top of the list include Cape Coral, Florida, and Jacksonville, Florida, which have both seen high employment growth.
Read more about the best cities for job hunters.
| Rank | City | Total score | 1 year employment growth | 3 year employment growth | 1 year hourly wage growth | Unemployment rate | Wage to rent ratio |
| 20 | Columbia, SC | 73.7 | 3.80% | 5.40% | 2.50% | 2.80% | 3.5 |
| 19 | Phoenix, AZ | 76.1 | 2.50% | 9.90% | 1.60% | 3.80% | 2.8 |
| 18 | Detroit, MI | 78.5 | 2.80% | 11.60% | 0.00% | 4.00% | 4.1 |
| 17 | Dallas, TX | 81.0 | 4.00% | 12.90% | -1.00% | 3.70% | 3.3 |
| 16 | Tulsa, OK | 82.0 | 4.20% | 7.60% | 1.00% | 3.40% | 4.2 |
| 15 | Austin, TX | 81.7 | 3.10% | 16.50% | -0.90% | 3.40% | 3.6 |
| 14 | Durham, NC | 82.9 | 3.90% | 11.20% | -0.20% | 3.00% | 4.3 |
| 12 | Washington, D.C. | 83.9 | 2.50% | 8.10% | 0.50% | 2.70% | 3.6 |
| 12 | Las Vegas, NV | 83.9 | 4.30% | 16.40% | 0.90% | 5.50% | 2.9 |
| 11 | Deltona, FL | 83.4 | 3.30% | 14.40% | 3.10% | 3.40% | 2.8 |
| 10 | Charleston, SC | 87.6 | 7.50% | 14.20% | 0.20% | 2.50% | 2.8 |
| 9 | Miami, FL | 88.3 | 2.10% | 14.30% | 0.70% | 2.40% | 2.7 |
| 8 | Greenville, SC | 89.0 | 3.70% | 7.20% | 1.30% | 2.80% | 4.5 |
| 7 | Raleigh, NC | 90.2 | 3.90% | 16.40% | -0.70% | 3.00% | 3.5 |
| 6 | Salt Lake City, UT | 91.0 | 3.10% | 10.50% | 1.30% | 2.80% | 3.4 |
| 5 | Tampa, FL | 91.5 | 3.30% | 13.90% | 1.00% | 3.10% | 2.7 |
| 4 | Orlando, FL | 97.3 | 2.90% | 19.30% | 1.50% | 3.10% | 2.7 |
| 3 | Jacksonville, FL | 97.6 | 4.60% | 14.20% | 0.50% | 3.00% | 3.4 |
| 2 | Cape Coral, FL | 98.3 | 3.70% | 16.00% | 3.30% | 3.10% | 2.8 |
| 1 | Oklahoma City, OK | 100.0 | 3.80% | 9.60% | 1.50% | 3.20% | 4.1 |
