BEST LABOR MARKETS FOR YOUNG ADULTS Householders Members of

under the age of 18-34 age

Annual rate of Annual rate of Share of total 45 with household range with
Opportunity population employment population fitting Jobless rate for 18- incomes of bachelor's
score for young growth (2000- growth (2004- in 18-34 age range 34 age range $100,000 or more degrees Total population
Rank Labor market adults 2008) 2009) (2008) (2008) (2008) (2008) (2008)
1 Austin, TX 10.08 3.4% 2.8% 28.0% 6.8% 22.2% 27.0% 1,652,602
2 Washington, DC 8.38 1.3% 0.6% 23.1% 7.9% 38.5% 35.8% 5,358,130
3 Raleigh, NC 8.19 3.9% 2.0% 24.2% 7.5% 24.5% 32.3% 1,088,765
4 Boston, MA 6.40 0.3% 0.01% 22.8% 7.9% 34.7% 37.6% 4,522,858
5 Houston, TX 6.07 2.4% 1.7% 24.3% 7.8% 20.8% 18.8% 5,728,143
6 Oklahoma City, OK 5.39 1.2% 0.6% 24.9% 6.2% 12.5% 19.7% 1,206,142
7 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 4.87 2.4% 1.5% 24.6% 7.8% 20.5% 20.0% 6,300,006
8 Tulsa, OK 4.74 0.8% 1.5% 22.6% 5.8% 12.6% 18.0% 916,079
9 Seattle, WA 4.68 1.2% 0.8% 22.7% 7.2% 27.7% 28.1% 3,344,813
10 Baton Rouge, LA 4.31 1.1% 1.4% 26.1% 7.3% 16.2% 17.9% 774,327
11 New York City, NY 4.25 0.4% -0.02% 22.2% 9.5% 32.4% 30.9% 19,006,798
12 Salt Lake City, UT 3.44 1.7% 1.2% 26.2% 4.7% 18.4% 20.4% 1,115,692
13 San Francisco-Oakland, CA 3.43 0.4% -0.6% 21.8% 8.4% 39.2% 33.1% 4,274,531
14 San Antonio, TX 3.30 2.1% 2.0% 24.6% 8.7% 14.7% 16.8% 2,031,445
15 Denver, CO 3.15 1.7% 0.2% 23.1% 6.8% 23.2% 27.4% 2,506,626
16 San Jose, CA 3.10 0.6% -0.04% 22.6% 8.1% 47.8% 31.8% 1,819,198
17 Baltimore, MD 2.98 0.5% 0.0% 22.6% 9.1% 28.6% 28.6% 2,667,117
18 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 2.79 1.0% -0.6% 22.6% 7.5% 26.9% 30.6% 3,229,878
19 Worcester, MA 2.55 0.5% -0.3% 22.3% 8.3% 28.8% 26.5% 783,806
20 Omaha, NE 2.44 1.1% 0.4% 23.6% 6.8% 17.2% 26.3% 837,925
21 Bridgeport-Stamford, CT 2.10 0.2% -0.5% 18.6% 12.0% 41.2% 30.3% 895,030
22 Columbus, OH 1.81 1.1% -0.2% 24.4% 8.0% 19.4% 27.4% 1,773,120
23 Hartford, CT 1.45 0.4% -0.2% 21.5% 10.3% 28.9% 27.6% 1,190,512
24 Albany, NY 1.33 0.4% -0.4% 24.0% 9.0% 21.4% 26.6% 853,919
25 New Haven, CT 0.96 0.3% -0.3% 22.2% 9.9% 24.1% 30.3% 846,101
26 Kansas City, MO 0.92 1.0% 0.2% 21.9% 8.4% 19.9% 26.8% 2,002,047
27 Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA 0.90 0.6% 0.1% 24.5% 8.7% 17.3% 17.3% 1,658,292
28 Charlotte, NC 0.62 3.0% 0.6% 22.8% 9.8% 21.3% 26.5% 1,701,799
29 Honolulu, HI 0.57 0.4% -0.1% 23.8% 6.5% 26.5% 21.3% 905,034
30 Nashville, TN 0.46 2.1% -0.2% 23.3% 7.6% 17.4% 24.1% 1,550,733
31 Richmond, VA 0.28 1.4% -0.3% 23.5% 10.2% 22.1% 22.5% 1,225,626
32 Philadelphia, PA 0.03 0.3% -0.5% 21.6% 10.6% 26.3% 27.4% 5,838,471
33 San Diego, CA 0.02 0.8% -0.6% 26.3% 9.7% 26.4% 23.0% 3,001,072
34 Pittsburgh, PA -0.20 -0.4% -0.4% 19.9% 8.8% 17.1% 27.6% 2,351,192
35 Rochester, NY -0.35 -0.1% -0.2% 23.2% 9.4% 16.1% 25.1% 1,034,090
36 Chicago, IL -0.60 0.6% -0.8% 23.4% 10.3% 25.6% 26.8% 9,569,624
37 St. Louis, MO -0.88 0.5% -0.3% 21.9% 9.6% 18.2% 23.9% 2,816,710
38 Birmingham, AL -1.04 0.7% -0.5% 22.0% 10.2% 17.8% 21.6% 1,117,608
39 Indianapolis, IN -1.21 1.4% -0.4% 22.2% 9.4% 19.1% 26.7% 1,715,459
40 Portland, OR -1.41 1.7% 0.01% 22.9% 9.6% 21.7% 25.4% 2,207,462
41 Phoenix, AZ -1.44 3.4% -0.3% 24.1% 7.2% 20.0% 17.6% 4,281,899
42 Bakersfield, CA -1.46 2.4% 1.4% 27.6% 12.3% 14.9% 10.7% 800,458
43 Albuquerque, NM -1.46 1.8% 0.3% 23.8% 7.9% 14.0% 16.3% 845,913
44 Los Angeles, CA -1.56 0.5% -0.7% 24.1% 9.3% 25.4% 21.3% 12,872,808
45 Cincinnati, OH -1.77 0.9% -0.7% 22.4% 9.1% 20.0% 22.0% 2,155,137
46 Atlanta, GA -1.94 2.9% -0.3% 23.1% 10.9% 23.5% 24.5% 5,376,285
47 Jacksonville, FL -2.00 1.9% -0.2% 22.1% 10.7% 16.7% 17.4% 1,313,228
48 Tucson, AZ -2.13 2.2% -0.3% 23.6% 10.7% 13.7% 17.7% 1,012,018
49 Buffalo, NY -2.21 -0.5% -0.5% 22.5% 10.2% 15.3% 24.7% 1,124,309
50 Las Vegas, NV -2.33 3.7% -0.3% 23.4% 9.5% 19.7% 16.8% 1,865,746
51 Louisville, KY -2.36 0.8% -0.3% 21.3% 10.6% 14.8% 22.1% 1,244,696
52 Orlando, FL -2.51 2.7% 0.2% 23.1% 10.8% 16.5% 19.9% 2,054,574
53 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL -2.72 0.9% -0.5% 20.1% 10.6% 20.1% 20.6% 5,414,772
54 Allentown-Bethlehem, PA -2.87 1.1% -0.1% 20.9% 9.6% 22.6% 19.9% 808,210
55 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA -3.09 0.7% -1.2% 23.1% 9.3% 33.9% 17.5% 797,740
56 Sacramento, CA -3.10 2.0% -1.1% 25.5% 11.9% 23.5% 21.2% 2,109,832
57 New Orleans, LA -3.46 -1.8% -3.2% 22.3% 9.6% 15.6% 17.6% 1,134,029
58 Milwaukee, WI -4.24 0.4% -1.1% 21.2% 8.4% 18.3% 23.0% 1,549,308
59 Providence, RI -4.33 0.1% -1.8% 22.8% 10.9% 20.7% 23.0% 1,596,611
60 Fresno, CA -4.73 1.6% 0.1% 26.7% 13.5% 14.7% 11.2% 909,153
61 Grand Rapids, MI -5.10 0.6% -1.3% 23.3% 11.2% 15.1% 21.7% 776,833
62 Memphis, TN -5.39 0.8% -0.2% 22.2% 14.2% 13.9% 16.9% 1,285,732
63 Riverside-San Bernardino, CA -5.97 2.9% -1.0% 27.1% 13.8% 21.3% 13.1% 4,115,871
64 Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL -6.30 1.6% -1.3% 20.4% 10.3% 16.1% 18.5% 2,733,761
65 Dayton, OH -7.49 -0.2% -1.8% 22.3% 11.1% 13.4% 19.0% 836,544
66 Cleveland, OH -8.08 -0.4% -1.6% 19.8% 13.6% 17.4% 22.3% 2,088,291
67 Detroit, MI -12.53 -0.1% -3.6% 20.2% 14.9% 20.8% 20.6% 4,425,110

Source: Portfolio.com/bizjournals
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