50 Metro Areas with Low Unemployment: Start your data-driven job search.

We hear a lot about making data-driven decisions at our jobs. Yet, many of us do not make decisions based on data when we do a job search. Instead, we apply for as many jobs as possible, perhaps using AI-driven platforms, and hope for the best. But there is a great deal of data we can study to make better job search decisions. For example, data is available that can help us decide what metropolitan area is the best place for us to find work. The numbers can also help us track job market conditions where we work now when we do not want to move.

Economists talk about a concept called “labor mobility.” Briefly, this is the notion that workers can move readily from one metropolitan area to another depending on where the jobs are located.

The reality for most of us is that we are not very mobile. Perhaps we have children who should stay in the same school, we want to continue seeing the same doctors, we want to stay near other family members, or we just like our neighborhood. So, we may be more concerned with the unemployment rate in our community, rather than the national unemployment rate.

Fortunately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, known as BLS, publishes the unemployment rate in 389 metropolitan areas, so we can find out the rate where we want to live or work. For those who want to relocate, this information will contribute to a data-driven decision on where to go.

According to a BLS press release, “a total of 91 areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and 5 areas had rates of at least 8.0 percent.“ Additionally, the Bureau reported that, in May 2024 “Burlington-South Burlington, VT, and Sioux Falls, SD, had the lowest unemployment rates, 1.7 percent each. The next lowest rate was in Portsmouth, NH-ME, 1.8 percent. El Centro, CA, had the highest rate, 15.4 percent. A total of 212 areas had May jobless rates below the U.S. rate of 3.7 percent, 162 areas had rates above it, and 15 areas had rates equal to that of the nation.”

We have listed 50 metropolitan areas with the lowest unemployment rates below. For those who wish to take a deeper dive into the data, you may click here for the entire BLS table.

Metropolitan area	May 2024 unemployment rate
United States	3.7
Burlington-South Burlington, VT Metropolitan NECTA	1.7
Sioux Falls, SD Metropolitan Statistical Area	1.7
Portsmouth, NH-ME Metropolitan NECTA	1.8
Ames, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area	1.9
Dover-Durham, NH-ME Metropolitan NECTA	1.9
Fargo, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area	1.9
Bismarck, ND Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.0
Decatur, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.0
Huntsville, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.0
Manchester, NH Metropolitan NECTA	2.0
Rapid City, SD Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.0
California-Lexington Park, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.1
Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.1
Iowa City, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.1
Rochester, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.1
Urban Honolulu, HI Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.1
Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.2
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.2
Auburn-Opelika, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.3
Mankato-North Mankato, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.3
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.3
Portland-South Portland, ME Metropolitan NECTA	2.3
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.4
Charlottesville, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.4
Dothan, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.4
Midland, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.4
Montgomery, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.4
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.4
Tuscaloosa, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.4
Winchester, VA-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.4
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.5
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.5
Gettysburg, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.5
Grand Island, NE Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.5
Hattiesburg, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.5
Jackson, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.5
Lincoln, NE Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.5
Madison, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.5
State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.5
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.5
Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.6
Appleton, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.6
Bangor, ME Metropolitan NECTA	2.6
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.6
Gainesville, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.6
Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.6
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.6
Lancaster, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.6
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.6
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area	2.6

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The bottom line is that if you are in a city with an unemployment rate in excess of 8% and have the option to relocate or work elsewhere remotely, there is a wide choice of localities where you can search for work.

But do not be overly discouraged if you live in a city with high unemployment, cannot move, and you are in a “high touch” or locally-licensed occupation where remote work is not possible. Other factors such as your level of education, and local demand for workers in your specific occupation may work in your favor. Consider changing things that are within your control when you cannot move to a new city. Knowledge of the job market will empower you to make better decisions!