According to the Department of Labor, the U.S. added 250,000 jobs to the economy in October 2018, surpassing economists' expectations. The unemployment rate held steady at the 48-year low, 3.7 percent.
The jobs market is robust, and several mid-size cities have more jobs than they can fill. According to a study by real estate website Livability.com, nine small- and medium-sized cities stand out with low unemployment, ample job opportunities, and offer affordable cost-of-living. Rochester, Minn. took the number one spot on the ranking, and is one of the site's Top 100 places to live due to its good affordability and entertainment scores. Rochester is also home to the Mayo Clinic, currently hiring for positions in health care and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) sectors, MarketWatch reports.
Of course, bigger cities have plenty to offer job-seekers, too. Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Hartford, Conn. made the list of best cities for jobs in 2018, according to a study by jobs site Glassdoor. Cities were selected for the list based on how easy it is to get a job, how happy employees are, and how affordable the city is. Those mid-sized cities are relatively affordable compared to places like San Francisco, where the median household income is $78,002 but the median sales price for a home is $1,325,000 (according to real estate site Trulia.com). Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has a median wage of $46,250, with a median home price of $176,000.
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