The Top Ten Cities for the Fastest-Growing Jobs in America

As we approach the New Year, many people are taking time to reflect and consider a fresh start. For many, this fresh start means a new job—and potentially a new city. With the country's steady job growth, pursuing a dream career in an unfamiliar city could be the perfect New Years resolution.

Housing startup ABODO recently looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to pinpoint the best cities for jobseekers based on the top five fastest-growing industries in the country. The data offers interesting takeaways for jobseekers and employers alike — whether you're a young professional looking to test out a new location, or an HR pro who wants to keep tabs on what industries are thriving in your area (and, subsequently, what talent will be available), the map offers insight into thriving job markets across the country.

Radbil's team looked at the prevalence of jobs by industry compared to the national prevalence—the total number of people employed in that industry—to find what's called a "location quotient" for cities, and then ranked the top ten cities for each industry.

Here are the top findings and surprising takeaways from each industry.

The Midwest Attracts More Media

It comes as no surprise that media-and-entertainment cities like Los Angeles and New York have a density of jobs in the arts, design, entertainment, sports and media industry. But the intriguing newcomer here is tenth-ranked Columbus, Ohio, with a location quotient of 1.11—climbing above the national average and calling aspiring artists to consider the Midwest.

Social Service Thrives in Philadelphia

Community and social service jobs saw a growth rate of nearly 15 percent over the past three years—the largest growth rate of all occupation categories. In fact, BLS projects these jobs will grow 10 percent by 2024, which will outpace average growth for all occupations.

Philadelphia has the highest density of jobs with almost twice the national average. On the other side of the country, San Francisco and Phoenix come in around the national average. Jobs in this category are more dispersed than other industries, providing greater flexibility in terms of city choice for jobseekers.

New Tech-Centric Cities Rival Silicon Valley

The main center for computer and mathematics jobs is San Jose, Calif., which boasts more than four times the national average job concentration for this industry. Seattle, Austin, Texas and Washington D.C. are high on the list as well. The surprise here again is Columbus, Ohio, which could be seeing growth due to new data centers from Amazon and Cologix.

Texas Takes the Lead in Construction

Construction and extraction jobs are the least geographically diverse of the bunch. Five of the top 10 cities land in Texas, a state that has seen big growth the past few years, according to the Census Bureau. The number two city, Denver, has also seen recent population growth, leading to the need for residential construction and energy projects.

For Health Care, Go East

Health care practitioner and technical jobs tend to group in the middle and eastern parts of the country, but because these jobs are always in demand you can't really go wrong geographically. Philadelphia, Detroit and Boston round out the top three cities. ABODO cautions that job seekers in this industry may want to steer clear of San Jose, Calif., San Francisco, and Washington D.C. as these cities are near the bottom of the list.