As some of my coworkers may or may not know, before working at American Public University System, and just after graduating from graduate school, I worked as a part-time employee at a non-profit organization at the height of the recession. During that time, I met more than a few families who left their hometown in search of a more hospitable job market. It is not that these family’s breadwinners lacked the necessary skills or experience to be competitive; rather, the job market and unemployment rate that they were fleeing was so extreme, there simply were not any opportunities to be had. In light of this fact, with the recession now (technically, though we are still suffering its grim effects) in the “rear view mirror” many commentators and economists have begun or continued to look at which American cities are most conducive to growth and job seekers.
Despite pervasive unemployment long-term unemployment, and unacceptably high unemployment numbers (and historic long-term jobless numbers), some American cities, in terms of their respective unemployment rates, have fared better than others for reasons relating primarily to home prices and growth in manufacturing (as well as growth in other sectors). According to a recent CNNMoney article hosted by Yahoo! Finance, these cities have unemployment rates far under the national average and include Omaha, Nebraska (home to the Oracle of Omaha—Warren Buffet); Albany, New York (which holds the top position on the list); and Kansas City, Missouri (whose economic activity increased by a staggering 2.6% during, and now after the recession). The worst? In the bottom twenty is Las Vegas as well as numerous cities in California and Florida.
What I am most interested in, however, are your experiences. What is your local job market like? Is there a vast discrepancy between the national unemployment rate and the rate where you live?
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