25 best cities for jobs

Looking for a new job and a new city? See which metro areas made Glassdoor's ranking of the best locations in the U.S. for job seekers.

Several of the top sites are major U.S. cities and tech hubs, but if that’s not your speed, don’t fret. Some of the best job opportunities are located in small and midsize metro areas, Glassdoor reports.

To come up with its list, Glassdoor equally weighted four factors: hiring opportunity, cost of living, job satisfaction, and work-life balance.

The report also includes median pay for employees and a few in-demand jobs for each metro location. While the ranking covers all kinds of jobs across all industries, a wide variety of tech positions appear among the in-demand jobs in most of the 25 cities.

San Jose, San Francisco and Seattle claim the top three spots in the report, 25 Best Cities for Jobs for 2016. Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and Oklahoma City appear in the top 10, and five other midsize cities made Glassdoor’s list for the first time: Detroit, Cleveland, San Diego, Cincinnati and Hartford.

“… for anyone considering a new job in a new city, bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. Many of the nation’s mid-sized cities stand out for offering some of the greatest job prospects combined with salaries that allow people to stretch their dollar further,” said Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor chief economist, in a statement.

Here’s the full list of Glassdoor’s 25 best cities for jobs.

1. San Jose, Calif.
Glassdoor job score (based on a five-point scale): 4.0
Number of job openings: 61,038
Median base salary: $112,000
Median home value: $956,500
Job satisfaction rating: 3.5
Work-life balance rating: 3.5
Hot jobs: solutions architect, HR manager, data scientist

2. San Francisco
Glassdoor job score: 3.8
Number of job openings: 121,597
Median base salary: $88,000
Median home value: $806,600
Job satisfaction rating: 3.5
Work-life balance rating: 3.5
Hot jobs: data scientist, engagement manager, junior graphic designer

3. Seattle
Glassdoor job score: 3.5
Number of job openings: 103,124
Median base salary: $85,000
Median home value: $382,700
Job satisfaction rating: 3.4
Work-life balance rating: 3.3
Hot jobs: UI-UX designer, data scientist, engagement manager

4. Boston
Glassdoor job score: 3.5
Number of job openings: 121,498
Median base salary: $67,500
Median home value: $387,400
Job satisfaction rating: 3.4
Work-life balance rating: 3.4
Hot jobs: nurse practitioner, applications developer, sales development representative

5. Washington, D.C.
Glassdoor job score: 3.4
Number of job openings: 163,520
Median base salary: $70,000
Median home value: $364,100
Job satisfaction rating: 3.4
Work-life balance rating: 3.3
Hot jobs: director of development, business office manager, data scientist

6. Austin, Texas
Glassdoor job score: 3.3
Number of job openings: 45,186
Median base salary: $61,000
Median home value: $247,500
Job satisfaction rating: 3.4
Work-life balance rating: 3.3
Hot jobs: creative director, finance manager, solutions architect

7. Salt Lake City
Glassdoor job score: 3.3
Number of job openings: 23,013
Median base salary: $58,700
Median home value: $234,400
Job satisfaction rating: 3.4
Work-life balance rating: 3.4
Hot jobs: technical support engineer, outside sales representative, marketing coordinator

8. Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Glassdoor job score: 3.3
Number of job openings: 34,660
Median base salary: $62,000
Median home value: $209,400
Job satisfaction rating: 3.3
Work-life balance rating: 3.3
Hot jobs: registered nurse, research associate, software engineer

9. Minneapolis-St. Paul
Glassdoor job score: 3.0
Number of job openings: 65,141
Median base salary: $65,000
Median home value: $219,400
Job satisfaction rating: 3.3
Work-life balance rating: 3.3
Hot jobs: Web designer, sales manager, business development manager

10. Oklahoma City, Okla.
Glassdoor job score: 3.0
Number of job openings: 20,576
Median base salary: $50,000
Median home value: $132,500
Job satisfaction rating: 3.3
Work-life balance rating: 3.2
Hot jobs: delivery driver, accountant, account executive

11. St. Louis
Glassdoor job score: 2.9
Number of job openings: 49,450
Median base salary: $56,896
Median home value: $141,900
Job satisfaction rating: 3.3
Work-life balance rating: 3.2
Hot jobs: software developer, office manager, Attorney

12. Detroit
Glassdoor job score: 2.9
Number of job openings: 59,494
Median base salary: $61,500
Median home value: $123,100
Job satisfaction rating: 3.2
Work-life balance rating: 3.2
Hot jobs: financial advisor, teller, registered nurse

13. Kansas City, Mo.
Glassdoor job score: 2.8
Number of job openings: 43,182
Median base salary: $58,000
Median home value: $147,500
Job satisfaction rating: 3.2
Work-life balance rating: 3.2
Hot jobs: buyer, business development manager, pharmacist

14. Columbus, Ohio
Glassdoor job score: 2.8
Number of job openings: 36,873
Median base salary: $57,000
Median home value: $154,600
Job satisfaction rating: 3.3
Work-life balance rating: 3.2
Hot jobs: regional sales manager, senior financial analyst, process engineer

15. Cleveland
Glassdoor job score: 2.8
Number of job openings: 35,130
Median base salary: $55,000
Median home value: $125,500
Job satisfaction rating: 3.2
Work-life balance rating: 3.2
Hot jobs: medical technologist, marketing manager, software developer

16. Indianapolis
Glassdoor job score: 2.7
Number of job openings: 38,934
Median base salary: $56,000
Median home value: $130,200
Job satisfaction rating: 3.2
Work-life balance rating: 3.1
Hot jobs: account executive, pharmacist, retail store manager

17. Baltimore
Glassdoor job score: 2.7
Number of job openings: 67,209
Median base salary: $58,000
Median home value: $244,800
Job satisfaction rating: 3.3
Work-life balance rating: 3.2
Hot jobs: customer service specialist, electrical engineer, restaurant manager

18. Louisville, Ky.
Glassdoor job score: 2.7
Number of job openings: 26,311
Median base salary: $54,000
Median home value: $137,500
Job satisfaction rating: 3.2
Work-life balance rating: 3.1
Hot jobs: program manager, outside sales representative, operations manager

19. Pittsburgh
Glassdoor job score: 2.6
Number of job openings: 50,127
Median base salary: $56,896
Median home value: $126,700
Job satisfaction rating: 3.2
Work-life balance rating: 3.1
Hot jobs: mechanical engineer, nurse practitioner, product manager

20. San Antonio
Glassdoor job score: 2.6
Number of job openings: 34,895
Median base salary: $55,000
Median home value: $150,200
Job satisfaction rating: 3.3
Work-life balance rating: 3.1
Hot jobs: sales manager, human resources coordinator, network engineer

21. San Diego
Glassdoor job score: 2.6
Number of job openings: 45,424
Median base salary: $71,323
Median home value: $506,100
Job satisfaction rating: 3.4
Work-life balance rating: 3.3
Hot jobs: marketing assistant, senior research associate, senior data scientist

22. Chicago
Glassdoor job score: 2.6
Number of job openings: 170,192
Median base salary: $63,000
Median home value: $193,800
Job satisfaction rating: 3.2
Work-life balance rating: 3.2
Hot jobs: creative director, data scientist, UI-UX designer

23. Cincinnati
Glassdoor job score: 2.6
Number of job openings: 36,624
Median base salary: $57,179
Median home value: $143,400
Job satisfaction rating: 3.2
Work-life balance rating: 3.1
Hot jobs: phlebotomist, graphic designer, business development manager

24. Atlanta
Glassdoor job score: 2.6
Number of job openings: 94,925
Median base salary: $60,000
Median home value: $163,000
Job satisfaction rating: 3.3
Work-life balance rating: 3.1
Hot jobs: engagement manager, internal auditor, network administrator

25. Hartford, Conn.
Glassdoor job score: 2.6
Number of job openings: 24,590
Median base salary: $68,000
Median home value: $215,800
Job satisfaction rating: 3.2
Work-life balance rating: 3.1
Hot jobs: paralegal, manufacturing engineer, business analyst

Glassdoor's report can be found here.

Glassdoor's methodology: Hiring opportunity is determined by the ratio of active job openings on Glassdoor to population data according to the U.S. Office of Management & Budget. Cost of living is determined by the ratio of median annual base salary (based on salary reports shared by local employees on Glassdoor) to median metro home value according to the Zillow Home Value Index for All Homes. Job satisfaction scores are based on company reviews shared by local employees on Glassdoor within the past year. Work-life balance scores are based on work-life balance ratings shared by local employees on Glassdoor within the past year.

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