📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Revealed: The No. 1 City to Find a Job Job site Glassdoor released a ranking of the top 25 cities to work in.

By Nina Zipkin

entrepreneur daily

When launching a company, you want to go where the opportunities are – and it turns out the best place to get started might not be where you think, according to a new ranking from career database Glassdoor.

Overseen by the company's chief economist Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, the job site conducted its first 25 Best Cities for Jobs survey. Raleigh, N.C. is No. 1 on the list followed by Kansas City, MO. and Oklahoma City.

Three elements were brought in to determine the final ranking: hiring opportunity (the ratio of job openings to the population), cost of living and job satisfaction. The satisfaction ratings were drawn from the employer reviews on the site over the last year, which includes a satisfaction scale of 1-5.

Related: To Improve Your Chances of Getting an Interview, Focus On This Strategy

Chamberlain said he found the cities that topped the list tended to fall into two categories -- growing mid-size tech hubs like Raleigh, N.C.; Austin, Texas; and Seattle and former industrial cities that have made the transition into being more service-oriented cities like Kansas City, MO.; Louisville, Ky.; and Oklahoma City. While the tech industry certainly made its presence felt in the ranking, he also noted opportunities for jobs in project management, accounting, telecom and healthcare were prevalent.

Looking ahead Chamberlain says "whatever industry is having a boom in that particular year that will shoot them way up in the rankings." For example had the ranking come out two years ago, Chamberlain noted that a city in North Dakota might have been at the top because of the fracking boom during that time -- but that would not be the case today because of falling oil prices.

Related: How to Land a Job at a Startup

As for what business owners can take away from the list, Chamberlain says they should to look out for locations that offer affordable housing stock, appealing amenities for families and proximity to institutes of higher learning.

"[Business owners] might want to take a second look at some smaller and mid-size cities in America as good places to start a company, that they might have overlooked in the past…these can be great places to start a business because they offer relatively low overhead and a steady stream of skilled workers coming out of the universities."

Related: 3 Questions to Ask Every Job Candidate You Interview

For more information, check out the full list below.

Click to Enlarge

Revealed: The No. 1 City to Find a Job

Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Employee Experience & Recruiting

Feed Your Company Spirit with This $200 Restaurant.com eGift Card That's Only $35

Use it at thousands of restaurants around the U.S.

Living

Show Mom You Love Her with Two Dozen Roses for $25

Rose Farmers is offering a limited-time deal on delivered roses for Mother's Day.

Data & Recovery

Get 500GB of Lifetime Cloud Storage for a One-Time $120 Payment

Boost your bottom line by getting an enormous amount of cloud storage for life without recurring fees.

Devices

Stay Focused and Accessible with These $40 Conduction Headphones

These headphones sit on top of your ears, so you can take calls while staying tuned into your surroundings.

Devices

Keep the Office Cool This Summer with $10 Off a Klima Thermostat

The Klima Smart Thermostat can turn your existing mini split, heat pump, or AC into a smart unit.