This North Carolina city ranks among best in nation to find a job, new report finds
North Carolina is home to one of the best places to find work, a new report finds.
The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metropolitan area, which also includes part of South Carolina, ranks No. 7 on a list of U.S. regions where conditions are most suitable for job hunters, according to personal finance website MoneyGeek.
The region earned a top 10 spot in the national rankings after MoneyGeek said it studied 52 places that have at least 500,000 people in the workforce.
It used data from the federal government and Zillow to determine growth trends and costs of living. The website said it also examined competition for jobs — which is a measure of unemployment and the size of the workforce.
Of all metros, the Charlotte area was one of the best in the nation for job and wage growth, results show. But the region was closer to the middle of the pack for affordable housing and job competition, earning top 20 scores in those categories.
MoneyGeek released its results as some companies are experiencing hiring surges and the economy is showing signs of rebounding from COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
It’s not the first time the Charlotte region has been recognized as a top place to kick off a new chapter during the pandemic.
In May, the Queen City ranked No. 30 on a list of best locations to start a career after college. To make that list, the personal finance website WalletHub said it examined job and quality-of-life opportunities, McClatchy News reported.
In another ranking from the apartment website RentCafé, the Charlotte metro was named named No. 16 among the top places offering the “hottest jobs” for recent graduates.
However, it’s not all good news for Charlotte metro area residents. In March, a report found the Charlotte region was lacking affordable rental units and only had “38 affordable and available units for every 100 households earning up to 30% of the area median income.” While the data was from before the pandemic, advocates have warned of potential challenges after some workers’ hours were cut back last year, The Charlotte Observer reported.
On the most recent MoneyGeek list, other metro areas that represent parts of North Carolina made it into the rankings, including Raleigh-Cary at No. 17 and Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News at No. 38.
Overall, the Salt Lake City region was named the best place to find work. Job seekers might have the worst luck near Hartford, Connecticut, which landed on the bottom of the list.
