Survey: Best cities for jobs

Austin, Texas, heads the list of best big cities for jobs, followed by Houston and Salt Lake City, according to Forbes Magazine. The list calculated employment potential by looking at both current and long-term growth rates for 398 cities across the country.

For short-term calculations, the survey included this year’s employment growth rate and the most recent year-on-year job growth. It also considered long-term factors of the average yearly growth rate from 2006 to 2011 and the last five years’ growth measured against the previous five years.

For big cities, the magazine ranked the 65 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) that have more than 450,000 jobs. Texas cities dominated the top rankings. The top 10 big MSA’s were Austin and Houston, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Fort Worth, Texas; San Jose, Calif.; Dallas; Raleigh, N.C.; Pittsburgh; Nashville, Tenn.; and Oklahoma City.

For mid-size cities, the magazine ranked the 91 metropolitan statistical areas with employment rolls between 150,000 and 450,000. Southern cities dominated that list. The top 10 mid-size MSA’s were Lafayette, La.; Corpus Christi, Texas; McAllen, Texas; El Paso, Texas; Charleston, S.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Provo, Utah; Bakersfield, Calif.; Boulder, Colo.; and Grand Rapids, Mich.

The survey noted shifts in the job market from public to private jobs, particularly in the booming oil and gas industry. Energy-rich areas like Texas are on the upswing, and government-dependent economies, like Bethesda, Md., and state capitals such as Springfield, Ill., saw steep declines.