Cities With the Best Job Growth (2021)

As the United States begins its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic in 2021 with the arrival of vaccines, the country’s economy is beginning to heal from the damage done by the pandemic. In this study, AdvisorSmith examined the rates of job growth and job loss in U.S. cities and states over the past two years, from March 2019 through March 2021. We also studied the cities with the fastest job growth and most job losses by city size.

During the two-year period between March 2019 and March 2021, the United States lost about 6.1 million jobs, with total employment dropping to 143 million in March 2021. This was a drop of 4.1% over the two-year study period (an annualized decrease of -2.1%).

Twenty states, primarily in the Midwest and the South, had job growth rates or job loss rates that were better than the national average. The other 30 states and Washington, D.C., suffered job losses that were worse than the national average. Idaho had the highest job growth rate, with job growth of 4.1% over the two-year period, adding about 30,900 jobs. Hawaii’s tourism-dependent economy lost the most jobs, with a reduction of -16.3%, accounting for 107,400 lost jobs.

Our study ranked 394 U.S. cities using data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor of Statistics. Read on to discover the cities with the best job growth in 2021.

Cities With the Best Job Growth

Below, we list the 50 cities with the best job growth over the past two years. Each city’s employment level (in thousands) is listed during March 2019, March 2020, and March 2021, along with the percentage growth in jobs in each city during the two-year study period.

Rank	City	State	March 2019	March 2020	March 2021	Growth
1	Ocean City	NJ	34.9	34.9	39.1	12.0%
2	St. George	UT	69.8	72.1	75.7	8.5%
3	Idaho Falls	ID	68.5	70.4	73.8	7.7%
4	Coeur d'Alene	ID	64.6	66.7	69	6.8%
5	Lakeland	FL	234.6	242.8	247.1	5.3%
6	Provo	UT	269.4	271.8	281.9	4.6%
7	Ogden	UT	264.5	268.3	275.9	4.3%
8	Boise	ID	339.7	352.7	353.1	3.9%
9	Pocatello	ID	37.3	37.4	38.7	3.8%
10	Sierra Vista	AZ	33.9	35	35	3.2%
11	Fayetteville	AR	262.1	271.7	268.6	2.5%
12	Huntsville	AL	243.5	249.2	249	2.3%
13	Lake Havasu City	AZ	52	52.4	53	1.9%
14	Walla Walla	WA	28.1	29.2	28.6	1.8%
15	Austin	TX	1103.5	1137.8	1123.1	1.8%
16	Salt Lake City	UT	741.6	756.4	754.7	1.8%
17	Cleveland	TN	46.6	47.6	47.4	1.7%
18	Waco	TX	121.9	123.2	123.9	1.6%
19	Lewiston	ID	28.1	28.5	28.5	1.4%
20	Winchester	VA	65.3	66.7	66.2	1.4%
21	Twin Falls	ID	46.4	47.5	47	1.3%
22	Stockton	CA	242.4	249.6	245.5	1.3%
23	Logan	UT	65.1	66.4	65.7	0.9%
24	Panama City	FL	80.3	81.5	80.9	0.7%
25	Kennewick	WA	115.1	118.2	115.9	0.7%
26	California	MD	47.3	48.1	47.6	0.6%
27	Decatur	AL	57.1	58.2	57.4	0.5%
28	Crestview	FL	117.9	119	118.4	0.4%
29	Bend	OR	84.3	87.2	84.6	0.4%
30	Gainesville	GA	93	94.8	93.2	0.2%
31	Rapid City	SD	66.2	66.8	66.3	0.2%
32	Dallas	TX	2655.9	2718.7	2659	0.1%
33	Pensacola	FL	185.4	188.2	185.6	0.1%
34	Palm Bay	FL	229.8	233.1	230	0.1%
35	Champaign	IL	116.1	117.9	116.2	0.1%
36	Savannah	GA	189.1	192.4	189.2	0.1%
37	Brunswick	GA	43.3	43.7	43.3	0.0%
38	Auburn	AL	66.2	66.5	66.2	0.0%
39	Jacksonville	FL	718.1	727.3	717.9	0.0%
40	Phoenix	AZ	2166.9	2218	2164.7	-0.1%
41	Prescott	AZ	65.5	66.2	65.4	-0.2%
42	Sherman	TX	48.4	49	48.3	-0.2%
43	Port St. Lucie	FL	156	158.7	155.6	-0.3%
44	Raleigh	NC	639.9	653.3	638.1	-0.3%
45	Ocala	FL	107.9	109	107.5	-0.4%
46	Amarillo	TX	121	121.8	120.5	-0.4%
47	Morristown	TN	47	47.3	46.8	-0.4%
48	Tyler	TX	107	108.1	106.5	-0.5%
49	Sioux Falls	SD	157	159.2	156.2	-0.5%
50	Jefferson City	MO	77.5	77.9	77.1	-0.5%

Cities That Lost the Most Jobs 

The following table shows the 50 cities that suffered the worst job losses over the past two years. It also lists the employment level (in thousands) for each city in March 2019, March 2020, and March 2021. 

Rank (Losses)	City	State	Mar 2019	Mar 2020	Mar 2021	Growth%
1	Kahului	HI	80.9	79.9	60.3	-25.5%
2	Lake Charles	LA	116.1	109.3	92.1	-20.7%
3	Odessa	TX	84.2	81.6	68	-19.2%
4	Midland	TX	112.5	112.4	94.2	-16.3%
5	Honolulu	HI	475.2	473.4	409.5	-13.8%
6	State College	PA	81.3	79.6	71.1	-12.5%
7	Santa Cruz	CA	102.8	102.3	90.1	-12.4%
8	Ithaca	NY	65.9	63.8	58	-12.0%
9	Atlantic City	NJ	130.7	131.2	115.6	-11.6%
10	New York City	NY	4620.8	4631.4	4090	-11.5%
11	Norwich	CT	127.3	124.2	112.8	-11.4%
12	Napa	CA	73.6	72.9	65.4	-11.1%
13	Farmington	NM	47.6	46.2	42.3	-11.1%
14	Las Vegas	NV	1028.3	1043	914.1	-11.1%
15	Orlando	FL	1325.1	1335.6	1180.8	-10.9%
16	San Luis Obispo	CA	118.7	119	105.8	-10.9%
17	Springfield	MA	336.7	334.4	302	-10.3%
18	Corvallis	OR	44.8	43.5	40.2	-10.3%
19	Gadsden	AL	37.5	36.5	33.7	-10.1%
20	Pittsfield	MA	39.9	38.7	35.9	-10.0%
21	New Orleans	LA	580.7	578.8	523	-9.9%
22	Santa Fe	NM	62.4	62.4	56.2	-9.9%
23	Los Angeles	CA	4554.5	4561.4	4105.4	-9.9%
24	Binghamton	NY	102.7	100.3	92.7	-9.7%
25	Santa Rosa	CA	206.2	207.5	186.3	-9.7%
26	Lawrence	KS	54	52.3	48.8	-9.6%
27	Kingston	NY	61.4	60.4	55.5	-9.6%
28	Manhattan	KS	42.9	42.1	38.8	-9.6%
29	Monroe	MI	41	40.8	37.1	-9.5%
30	Johnstown	PA	53.9	52.6	48.8	-9.5%
31	Victoria	TX	41.7	40.2	37.9	-9.1%
32	Cumberland	MD	39.7	38	36.1	-9.1%
33	Wheeling	WV	65	61.5	59.2	-8.9%
34	Lansing	MI	239.1	238.4	218	-8.8%
35	San Francisco	CA	2459.4	2477.4	2242.5	-8.8%
36	Nassau County	NY	1331.4	1309.7	1214.8	-8.8%
37	Elmira	NY	36.8	37.1	33.6	-8.7%
38	Reading	PA	181.3	179.7	165.7	-8.6%
39	Newark	NJ	1221.6	1220.4	1116.5	-8.6%
40	Philadelphia	PA	975.3	984.1	892.7	-8.5%
41	Battle Creek	MI	57.9	56.7	53	-8.5%
42	Salinas	CA	143	143.3	130.9	-8.5%
43	Anaheim	CA	1661.5	1659.8	1521.1	-8.5%
44	Shreveport	LA	181.9	178.4	166.6	-8.4%
45	Rockford	IL	150	145.6	137.5	-8.3%
46	Chico	CA	80.5	80.3	73.8	-8.3%
47	Kokomo	IN	39.9	39	36.6	-8.3%
48	Muskegon	MI	63.1	62.9	57.9	-8.2%
49	Decatur	IL	50.2	49.2	46.1	-8.2%
50	Kalamazoo	MI	150.7	151	138.4	-8.2%

Cities With the Best Job Growth by City Size

The nation’s cities with the best growth in employment and segmented by city size, are listed here. We broke down our study of job growth by small (population < 150,000), midsize (population 150,000-500,000), and large (population > 500,000) cities in order to provide more meaningful comparisons.

Small Cities With the Most Job Growth

Rank	City	State	Growth
1	Ocean City	NJ	12.0%
2	Pocatello	ID	3.8%
3	Sierra Vista	AZ	3.2%
4	Walla Walla	WA	1.8%
5	Cleveland	TN	1.7%
6	Lewiston	ID	1.4%
7	Winchester	VA	1.4%
8	Twin Falls	ID	1.3%
9	Logan	UT	0.9%
10	California	MD	0.6%
11	Rapid City	SD	0.2%
12	Brunswick	GA	0.0%
13	Sherman	TX	-0.2%
14	Morristown	TN	-0.4%
15	Valdosta	GA	-0.5%
16	Bismarck	ND	-0.8%
17	Hammond	LA	-1.1%
18	The Villages	FL	-1.2%
19	Carson City	NV	-1.3%
20	Jonesboro	AR	-1.3%
21	Staunton	VA	-1.6%
22	Longview	WA	-1.7%
23	Homosassa Springs	FL	-1.8%
24	New Bern	NC	-1.8%
25	Dothan	AL	-1.8%

Small Cities With the Worst Job Losses

Rank	City	State	Growth
1	Ithaca	NY	-12.0%
2	Napa	CA	-11.1%
3	Farmington	NM	-11.1%
4	Corvallis	OR	-10.3%
5	Gadsden	AL	-10.1%
6	Pittsfield	MA	-10.0%
7	Lawrence	KS	-9.6%
8	Manhattan	KS	-9.6%
9	Johnstown	PA	-9.5%
10	Victoria	TX	-9.1%
11	Cumberland	MD	-9.1%
12	Wheeling	WV	-8.9%
13	Elmira	NY	-8.7%
14	Battle Creek	MI	-8.5%
15	Kokomo	IN	-8.3%
16	Decatur	IL	-8.2%
17	Parkersburg	WV	-7.9%
18	Kankakee	IL	-7.5%
19	Grand Forks	ND	-7.1%
20	Enid	OK	-7.1%
21	Midland	MI	-6.9%
22	Mount Vernon	WA	-6.9%
23	Beckley	WV	-6.8%
24	Casper	WY	-6.7%
25	Watertown	NY	-6.6%

Midsize Cities With the Most Job Growth

Rank	City	State	Growth
1	St. George	UT	8.5%
2	Idaho Falls	ID	7.7%
3	Coeur d'Alene	ID	6.8%
4	Huntsville	AL	2.3%
5	Lake Havasu City	AZ	1.9%
6	Waco	TX	1.6%
7	Panama City	FL	0.7%
8	Kennewick	WA	0.7%
9	Decatur	AL	0.5%
10	Crestview	FL	0.4%
11	Bend	OR	0.4%
12	Gainesville	GA	0.2%
13	Champaign	IL	0.1%
14	Savannah	GA	0.1%
15	Auburn	AL	0.0%
16	Prescott	AZ	-0.2%
17	Port St. Lucie	FL	-0.3%
18	Ocala	FL	-0.4%
19	Amarillo	TX	-0.4%
20	Tyler	TX	-0.5%
21	Sioux Falls	SD	-0.5%
22	Jefferson City	MO	-0.5%
23	Wilmington	NC	-0.5%
24	Fargo	ND	-0.8%
25	Reno	NV	-0.9%

Midsize Cities With the Worst Job Losses

Rank	City	State	Growth
1	Kahului	HI	-25.5%
2	Lake Charles	LA	-20.7%
3	Odessa	TX	-19.2%
4	Midland	TX	-16.3%
5	State College	PA	-12.5%
6	Santa Cruz	CA	-12.4%
7	Atlantic City	NJ	-11.6%
8	Norwich	CT	-11.4%
9	San Luis Obispo	CA	-10.9%
10	Santa Fe	NM	-9.9%
11	Binghamton	NY	-9.7%
12	Santa Rosa	CA	-9.7%
13	Kingston	NY	-9.6%
14	Monroe	MI	-9.5%
15	Reading	PA	-8.6%
16	Salinas	CA	-8.5%
17	Shreveport	LA	-8.4%
18	Rockford	IL	-8.3%
19	Chico	CA	-8.3%
20	Muskegon	MI	-8.2%
21	Kalamazoo	MI	-8.2%
22	Elizabethtown	KY	-8.1%
23	East Stroudsburg	PA	-8.1%
24	Erie	PA	-8.0%
25	Utica	NY	-7.8%

Large Cities With the Most Job Growth

Rank	City	State	Growth
1	Lakeland	FL	5.3%
2	Provo	UT	4.6%
3	Ogden	UT	4.3%
4	Boise	ID	3.9%
5	Fayetteville	AR	2.5%
6	Austin	TX	1.8%
7	Salt Lake City	UT	1.8%
8	Stockton	CA	1.3%
9	Dallas	TX	0.1%
10	Pensacola	FL	0.1%
11	Palm Bay	FL	0.1%
12	Jacksonville	FL	0.0%
13	Phoenix	AZ	-0.1%
14	Raleigh	NC	-0.3%
15	Knoxville	TN	-0.6%
16	Tampa	FL	-0.6%
17	Colorado Springs	CO	-0.7%
18	San Antonio	TX	-0.9%
19	Nashville	TN	-1.2%
20	Riverside	CA	-1.4%
21	Fort Worth	TX	-1.5%
22	Augusta	GA	-1.5%
23	Kansas City	MO	-1.6%
24	Charlotte	NC	-1.6%
25	Kansas City	KS	-1.6%

Large Cities With the Worst Job Losses

Rank	City	State	Growth%
1	Honolulu	HI	-13.80%
2	New York City	NY	-11.50%
3	Las Vegas	NV	-11.10%
4	Orlando	FL	-10.90%
5	Springfield	MA	-10.30%
6	New Orleans	LA	-9.90%
7	Los Angeles	CA	-9.90%
8	Lansing	MI	-8.80%
9	San Francisco	CA	-8.80%
10	Nassau County	NY	-8.80%
11	Newark	NJ	-8.60%
12	Philadelphia	PA	-8.50%
13	Anaheim	CA	-8.50%
14	Oakland	CA	-8.10%
15	Elgin	IL	-8.00%
16	Youngstown	OH	-8.00%
17	Buffalo	NY	-7.90%
18	Boston	MA	-7.80%
19	Syracuse	NY	-7.80%
20	Gary	IN	-7.50%
21	Chicago	IL	-7.50%
22	Baton Rouge	LA	-7.20%
23	Warren	MI	-7.20%
24	Pittsburgh	PA	-7.20%
25	Oxnard	CA	-7.10%

Job Growth in Each State

The table below shows job growth and losses in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Only three states added jobs in the past two years, while the rest of the states all lost jobs. Midwestern and southern states had the most job growth and least job losses, while the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and West had the worst job losses.

Rank	State	March 2019	March 2020	March 2021	Growth
1	Idaho	745.4	766.4	776.3	4.1%
2	Utah	1542.6	1565.3	1579.1	2.4%
3	Montana	472.2	478.7	473	0.2%
4	South Dakota	431.2	432.4	427.6	-0.8%
5	Arizona	2929.6	2987.7	2901.7	-1.0%
6	Nebraska	1012.5	1017.3	999.8	-1.3%
7	Arkansas	1277.1	1287.9	1258.7	-1.4%
8	Texas	12693.4	12869.4	12477.5	-1.7%
9	Tennessee	3100.4	3127.7	3045.7	-1.8%
10	North Carolina	4550.3	4589	4460.5	-2.0%
11	Alabama	2061.4	2070.4	2019.5	-2.0%
12	Georgia	4592	4628.8	4474.4	-2.6%
13	South Carolina	2168.3	2174	2108.3	-2.8%
14	Missouri	2886.8	2891.8	2797.2	-3.1%
15	Kansas	1411.9	1414.6	1368	-3.1%
16	Colorado	2749.5	2788.4	2662.3	-3.2%
17	Mississippi	1156.1	1153	1118.9	-3.2%
18	Washington	3422.1	3471.5	3305.2	-3.4%
19	Iowa	1567.4	1566.3	1506.5	-3.9%
20	Virginia	4023.7	4046.2	3864.4	-4.0%
21	Florida	8965.5	9047.4	8599.5	-4.1%
22	Kentucky	1926.5	1929.5	1845	-4.2%
23	Indiana	3143.8	3118.7	3010.4	-4.2%
24	New Hampshire	677.9	676.6	648	-4.4%
25	Maine	617.9	618.5	590	-4.5%
26	Wisconsin	2949.2	2940.2	2810.2	-4.7%
27	Oklahoma	1700.8	1688.8	1620.6	-4.7%
28	Delaware	461.5	459.6	439.5	-4.8%
29	Ohio	5525.8	5497.2	5257.8	-4.8%
30	Maryland	2745.7	2725.9	2610.5	-4.9%
31	Wyoming	283.7	281.4	268.6	-5.3%
32	Oregon	1933.4	1945.6	1828.9	-5.4%
33	West Virginia	716.3	706.7	676.8	-5.5%
34	North Dakota	433.3	431.9	409.1	-5.6%
35	Minnesota	2923.1	2925.7	2758.3	-5.6%
36	Pennsylvania	6009.1	6001.3	5625.1	-6.4%
37	Illinois	6048.7	6020.3	5661.5	-6.4%
38	Connecticut	1676.7	1664.5	1564.4	-6.7%
39	New Mexico	848.9	856.2	790.6	-6.9%
40	New Jersey	4138.4	4145	3846.8	-7.0%
41	Michigan	4402.2	4373.5	4090	-7.1%
42	California	17309.3	17439.8	16080.9	-7.1%
43	Massachusetts	3625.7	3641.8	3367.7	-7.1%
44	Alaska	317.9	316.9	294.8	-7.3%
45	Rhode Island	494.7	493.9	457.6	-7.5%
46	Louisiana	1994.1	1968.5	1833.8	-8.0%
47	District of Columbia	796.6	799.5	730.9	-8.2%
48	Nevada	1408	1426.2	1290.9	-8.3%
49	Vermont	318.7	312.4	290.2	-8.9%
50	New York	9698.2	9644.9	8757.5	-9.7%
51	Hawaii	660.8	657.8	553.4	-16.3%

Methodology

This study examined the change in jobs based upon estimates published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in the State and Metro Area Employment data set. We examined the percentage change in jobs in each metropolitan area between March 2019 and March 2021. We used non-seasonally adjusted figures since we examined comparable time periods for the starting and ending period.

We ranked the top 50 cities for job growth, as well as the 50 cities with the highest job losses. We also ranked the top small, midsize, and large cities by their job growth or losses. Additionally, we ranked all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on their job growth or losses over the two-year study period.

Sources

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics State and Area Estimates
2. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program