25 best places to find a job in the US in 2018

Looking for a new work-related adventure?

When you’re considering moving to a new place, how you plan to make money matters a lot. A flourishing job market can easily mean the difference between making it and burning out in a new town. This is why in the overall ranking of the Best Places to Live, each metro area’s job market — comprised of its unemployment rate and median salary — accounted for 20 percent of the final score. Read on for the 25 strongest job markets in our ranking of the 125 most populous places in the U.S.

Karla Gallegos is lifted as she practices acro yoga with friends in downtown Dallas, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Spring like weather has moved into Texas making being outdoors during winter enjoyable. (AP Photo/LM Otero) — **25. Dallas-Fort Worth** **Best Places 2018 Rank:** 18 **Metro Population:** 6,957,123 **Median Home Price:** $210,181 **Median Annual Salary:** $50,350 **Unemployment Rate:** 3.7 percent The Dallas-Fort Worth area’s top employers come from a wide range of industries — from technology and finance to oil and manufacturing. A big contributor to its success is the number of major corporations that call the area home, including AT&T, Southwest Airlines, Comerica and Texas Health Resources. Learn more about Dallas-Fort Worth. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The Gene Leahy Mall in Omaha, NE looking west at the skyline during the holiday season. — **24. Omaha, Nebraska** **Best Places 2018 Rank:** 28 **Metro Population:** 904,834 **Median Home Price:** $165,667 **Median Annual Salary:** $46,490 **Unemployment Rate:** 3 percent Nebraska’s largest city is home to a wide range of industries, including financial institution Berkshire Hathaway and Union Pacific Railroad. Omaha also hosts a developing tech industry, an example of startups seeking less-populated cities to base operations and reduce expenses. Learn more about Omaha. (Thinkstock)

Worcester, Massachusetts, USA Skyline at rush hour. — **23. Worcester, Massachusetts** **Best Places 2018 Rank:** 62 **Metro Population:** 930,667 **Median Home Price:** $232,633 **Median Annual Salary:** $52,170 **Unemployment Rate:** 4.1 percent Located in central Massachusetts, Worcester residents benefit from a low unemployment rate of just 4.1 percent compared to the national average of 4.4 percent. Learn more about Worcester. (Thinkstock)

Old Main, a landmark and symbol of the University of Arkansas Campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. — **22. Fayetteville, Arkansas** **Best Places 2018 Rank:** 5 **Metro Population:** 503,642 **Median Home Price:** $182,508 **Median Annual Salary:** $44,980 **Unemployment Rate:** 2.7 percent The Fayetteville area maintains a low unemployment rate — just 2.7 percent — with diverse employers that include the University of Arkansas, Tyson Foods Inc. and Walmart. Learn more about Fayetteville. (Thinkstock)

Cityscape scene of downtown Huntsville, Alabama, from Big Spring Park during the day — **21. Huntsville, Alabama** **Best Places 2018 Rank:** 7 **Metro Population:** 440,230 **Median Home Price:** $161,600 **Median Annual Salary:** $52,960 **Unemployment Rate:** 4 percent Home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville attracts aerospace engineers not just for the NASA job opportunities, but also for the aerospace jobs from companies that are based in the area as a result of the government entity’s location. Learn more about Huntsville. *(*Median home price for Huntsville was not available, so median home value is listed.)* (Thinkstock)

In Baltimore, 20.7 percent of home sales in the second quarter were distressed sales, the highest percentage in the nation among cities with a metropolitan area population of 1 million or more. (Thinkstock) — **20. Baltimore** **Best Places 2018 Rank:** 83 **Metro Population:** 2,780,873 **Median Home Price:** $243,633 **Median Annual Salary:** $54,920 **Unemployment Rate:** 4.2 percent Many of Baltimore’s biggest employers are in the health care industry, from Johns Hopkins University and the associated Johns Hopkins Health System to MedStar Health and the University of Maryland Medical System. Learn more about Baltimore. (Thinkstock)

Downtown Colorado Springs Colorado looking west from Pikes Peak Avenue towards Pikes Peak and the Rocky Mountains. — **19. Colorado Springs, Colorado** **Best Places 2018 Rank:** 2 **Metro Population:** 688,643 **Median Home Price:** $255,233 **Median Annual Salary:** $49,450 **Unemployment Rate:** 3.1 percent Home to the U.S. Air Force Academy, the North American Air Defense Command, a U.S. Army base and an additional Air Force base, Colorado Springs’ job market is heavily defense- and aerospace-based. Still, the Rocky Mountain locale keeps the area’s tourism industry strong as well. Learn more about Colorado Springs. (Thinkstock)

**18. Hartford, Connecticut** **Best Places 2018 Rank:** 46 **Metro Population:** 1,211,826 **Median Home Price:** $206,383 **Median Annual Salary:** $58,400 **Unemployment Rate:** 4.8 percent The Hartford metro area may have an above-average unemployment rate, but as a hub for the insurance industry and other businesses, residents earn a median annual salary of $58,400, nearly $10,000 above the national average. Learn more about Hartford. Victor Perpetua plays his French horn seated under a statue of the Spirit of Victory in Bushnell Park in Hartford, Conn., Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. Perpetua is an attorney in the city and often comes out to the park to play his horn on his lunch break. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

17. Portland, Oregon Best Places 2018 Rank: 6 Metro Population: 2,351,319 Median Home Price: $349,675 Median Annual Salary: $53,960 Unemployment Rate: 3.8 percent A flourishing tech industry isn’t the only thing keeping Portland’s median annual salary high and its unemployment rate below the national average. Manufacturing, athletic and outdoor apparel and health care companies all contribute to Portland’s economy. Learn more about Portland. People cool off in the Willamette River with the downtown skyline visible in the background in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017. Scorching temperatures are predicted for the Northwest Wednesday and Thursday, with forecasters saying Seattle and Portland could top triple digits and break records. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

AP Photo/Don Ryan

A man walks on the path around Gray's Lake Park, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) — **16. Des Moines, Iowa** **Best Places 2018 Rank:** 4 **Metro Population:** 611,755 **Median Home Price:** $181,217 **Median Annual Salary:** $49,420 **Unemployment Rate:** 2.9 percent While the Des Moines area’s median salary is slightly below the national average of $49,630, the cost of living is far lower, as the typical resident uses just 23.52 percent of his or her household income on living expenses. The low cost of living is just one factor bringing tech companies and startups to the metro area. Learn more about Des Moines. *A man walks on the path around Gray’s Lake Park, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, in Des Moines, Iowa.* (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

A surfer walks out of the surf as the sun sets behind Ocean Beach pier Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) — **15. San Diego** **Best Places 2018 Rank:** 30 **Metro Population:** 3,253,356 **Median Home Price:** $521,067 **Median Annual Salary:** $55,480 **Unemployment Rate:** 4 percent San Diego attracts residents with its ideal weather and helps them stay with a number of diverse job opportunities. San Diego is home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet and has a large number of military personnel as a result, not to mention opportunities in technology, tourism and research stemming from the area’s universities. Learn more about San Diego. *A surfer walks out of the surf as the sun sets behind Ocean Beach pier Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017, in San Diego.* (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

14. Austin, Texas Best Places 2018 Rank: 1 Metro Population: 1,942,615 Median Home Price: $278,608 Median Annual Salary: $50,830 Unemployment Rate: 3.2 percent While Austin attracts a wide variety of businesses, with government and education being major employers in the area, it draws a lot of tech companies as well. A less expensive place to set up shop than Silicon Valley, Austin is now considered a major tech hub. Learn more about Austin. Stockbyte/Thinkstock

13. Portland, Maine Best Places 2018 Rank: 27 Metro Population: 523,874 Median Home Price: $219,658 Median Annual Salary: $47,770 Unemployment Rate: 2.6 percent Portland’s job market thrives on small businesses, ranging from retail to manufacturing. But the high success rate of small businesses doesn’t keep larger companies from calling the area home, such as L.L. Bean, which is based in Freeport, Maine. Learn more about Portland. In this July 13, 2015 photo, the Nova Star ferry travels past fishermen and tourists near the Spring Point Ledge Light on its way to the Ocean Gateway terminal in Portland, Maine. With the decline of groundfishing and freight shipping, Maine’s largest city increasingly relies on tourists passing through its port. (Gabe Souza/Portland Press Herald via AP)

Gabe Souza/Portland Press Herald via AP