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High incomes and good work-life balance. See which U.S. cities have the best job markets.

By
Mary Cunningham
Reporter, MoneyWatch
Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. She previously worked at "60 Minutes," CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.
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Mary Cunningham

/ CBS News

When it comes to finding a job, where you look can be just as important as who you know.

A new by SmartAsset sought to identify the best job markets around the U.S. by ranking 348 cities based on six metrics: unemployment rate; rate of income growth; percentage of workers with employer-sponsored health insurance; typical commute time; percentage of remote workers; and median housing payments as a share of income. 

Read on to find which cities have the most to offer U.S. workers.

Which cities have the best overall job market?

Bend, Oregon, has the top job market in the United States, according to SmartAsset. The West Coast city notched points for its low unemployment rate (3.1%) and high income growth. From 2020 to 2023, the median income in Bend grew 44% — the fourth highest rate after Richmond, Virginia, (50%); Nampa, Idaho, (47%); and Dayton, Ohio, (45%). 

A hub for outdoor recreation, Bend also stands out for its work-life balance. The median commute time for workers in Bend is 16 minutes, with just over a quarter of the city's population working remotely.

Trailing Bend in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots for best overall job markets are Richmond, Virginia, and Seattle, Washington.

Which cities have the highest percentage of health care coverage for workers?

For workers looking for solid health care coverage, a move to Santa Clara, California, may be worth considering. Over 88% of the population in the southern Bay Area city have private health insurance plans through their employer. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Bellevue, Washington, follow close behind with roughly 87% of their residents having health coverage through their employers.

Which cities have the shortest commutes? 

Spending large chunks of time sitting on a train or stuck in traffic is not conducive to good work-life balance. For that reason, cities with the shortest commute times contribute to top job market rankings in SmartAssets' study.  

With a median commute time of roughly 14 minutes, workers in Wichita Falls, Texas, have one the shortest commute times in the country, according SmartAsset. Abilene, Texas, and Topeka, Kansas, workers also spend less time in transit than others, with median commutes of around 14 and 15 minutes, respectively.

Which cities are remote-work friendly?

When it comes to cities with the highest percentage of remote workers, Frisco, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, stands out from the crowd, with over 32% of workers conducting their jobs remotely. Berkeley, California, and Charlotte, North Carolina, also embrace work from home with a total 29% and 28% remote workers, respectively.

Edited by Anne Marie D. Lee

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