According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job field that experienced the fastest growth between 2012 and 2015 was computer and mathematical operations, which has grown by more than 20% during this period. Community and social service occupations have grown by 15.3% over the same period, followed by business and financial operations occupations at 13.4%, construction and extraction occupations (13.2%) and health care practitioner and technical occupations at 12.3%.
At the same time, a growing number of Americans are relocating for work – over 35% from one year to the next, according to a 2014 study. In its “Best Cities for Job Seekers” report, ABODO has examined each of these fastest-growing fields and determined which of the nation’s top metro areas have the most opportunities in each field, and where job-seekers might relocate to take these opportunities.
Job Density
Out of the top 25 MSAs in the country, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro statistical area offers the highest computer and mathematical operations job density at nearly 73 out of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, and the highest density of business and financial occupations at 98.9 jobs in the field for every 1,000. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. came in second for computer and mathematical operations at 67 out of 1,000 jobs.
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD has the highest density of community and social service occupations at nearly 20 jobs for every 1,000 total. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Tex. has the highest density of construction and extraction jobs at 60 out of every 1,000 jobs total, owing to the area’s oil industry and fast growth.
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH and Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, M.D. are tied for greatest health care practitioner and technical occupation density at 67 jobs for every 1,000 in the area.
Top Ten MSAs For The Top Five Fastest-Growing Fields
In order to measure the top ten cities in each job category for the top 50 MSAs, ABODO turned to a measure of job density relative to the national average in each city, or its location quotient. This quotient compares the local ratio of a specific occupation to total employment (as described above) to the national ratio. A value of 1 indicates the national average, while a figure above or below 1 shows a relative strength or lack of jobs compared to the national average. This quotient serves to offset the influence of population density on job opportunities.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. has the highest computer and mathematical job quotient of 4.2, meaning that that area has more than four times the national average density of computer and mathematics jobs. The Washington, D.C. area came in second with a location quotient of 2.5, followed by Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue at 2.3.
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Conn. has the highest community and social service job quotient at 1.6 times the national average density. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA came in second at 1.5. ABODO notes that many of the top ten MSAs in this category are on the East Coast, with the exception of Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, and Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA, which each scored 1.2.
The Washington, D.C. area again scores highest for business and financial operations occupations, with a location quotient of 1.9. In the construction and extraction sector, the Houston metro area tops the list with a location quotient of 1.51. ABODO attributes this high rating to Houston’s rapid expansion and oil and gas industry presence.
"Our research shows that the top cities for construction job opportunities are Houston, Riverside, Virginia Beach, Oklahoma City and Denver. Experts in the industry have noticed that there is currently a skilled labor shortage, but with increased work, the construction industry should have a higher employment rate than the overall economy,” says Sam Radbil, ABODO’s senior communications director.
"The U.S. population is expected to grow substantially in the next five years, and this increase of people results in a rise of residential housing as well. This will escalate residential construction to the top of the growing markets’ list and we should see an increase in the jobs available in the construction industry. We expect to see more and more cities adding construction jobs and the industry to flourish into 2020 and beyond."
Many of the areas with health care practitioner and technical location quotients above the national average are areas with large medical research centers. Birmingham-Hoover, Ala. has the highest concentration with a location quotient of 1.4, followed by Cleveland-Elyria, OH, home to the Cleveland Clinic, at 1.3, and Pittsburgh, Penn., home to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, at 1.2.
In its analysis of job concentrations, ABODO has found that four of the five fastest-growing job categories are relatively common in major metro areas, so even the top location quotients are fairly low. However, some job-seekers may want to move to a particular location in order to achieve a dream position or follow growth. Many of these job and population centers are on the coasts, but ABODO notes that some Midwestern and inland areas, such as Minneapolis and Austin, offer opportunities in these sectors with a lower cost of living than many coastal cities.
