If you’re looking for a major career move and are looking for a challenging job, some smaller (albeit expensive) cities offer opportunities not available from their larger counterparts. You may not even have to go far: Smaller cities are waiting, often just outside of more expensive metros. Some of the best were singled out in a recent market study from CoworkingCafe.
The study isolated the top 20 career hot spots among 298 U.S. cities with populations of fewer than 250,000 by considering 19 metrics across four categories of data: Salary and income, job market strength, quality of life and amenities, and industry presence.
The rankings relied heavily on measurable indicators like wage growth and unemployment levels, said Nicusor Ciorba, the author of the study, adding that he deliberately avoided overweighting affordability so that low-cost, stagnant markets wouldn’t dominate the results.
With that in mind, the small city offering the best opportunity to put down solid professional roots was Alpharetta, GA, which stacks advantages: a high number of business establishments per capita, diverse job opportunities in tech and finance, good broadband availability, accessible health care, flexible commutes and proximity to the “economic gravity” of Atlanta.
So, if you want to venture out and look for some breakthrough opportunities try these 20 cities for your dream job and surprise yourself!
Good luck!
