Ranking It
Austin reigns supreme as one of Forbes' best cities for jobs
Austin moved up the ranks to the No. 3 spot on Forbes magazine's new 2014 list of "Best Big Cities for Jobs." With Austin, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio all included in the top 12, Texas reigns supreme as the state with the most cities on the list by far.
Forbes ranked the nation's 398 metropolitan statistical areas based on employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from November 2002 through January 2014. The rankings are based on recent growth trends, mid-term growth, long-term growth and the region's momentum. For the "Big Cities" list, Forbes ranked 66 metropolitan areas with more than 450,000 jobs.
With 881,000 jobs and growth of 4.1 percent in 2013, Austin jumped back up to No. 3.
In the past few years, Texas has dominated Forbes' "Best Big Cities for Jobs" lists. In 2012, Austin topped the list, followed by Houston at No. 2; Fort Worth was No. 4 and Dallas was No. 6. Last year, however, Austin dropped to No. 10 and Houston fell to No. 5. Fort Worth and Dallas maintained their No. 4 and No. 6 spots, respectively.
With 881,000 jobs and growth of 4.1 percent in 2013, Austin jumped back up to No. 3 behind San Jose-Santa Clara and San Francisco on this year's list.
Houston maintained its No. 5 spot, with 2.83 million jobs and growth of 3 percent in 2013. The Dallas area, with 2.2 million jobs and 2.8 percent growth in 2013, dropped to No. 9. Fort Worth, with 931,000 jobs and growth of 2.5 percent in 2013, fell to No. 11; San Antonio, with 913,000 jobs and growth of 2.2 percent in 2013, jumped into the No. 12 spot.