American Cities Adding the Most Jobs This Year

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25. Ithaca, NY
> Employment change: 4.37%
> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 52,077
> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 54,353
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 3.8%

The Ithaca metro area added more than 2,200 jobs in the 12 months ending in October 2016. This 4.4% employment growth was the 25th highest of any metro area in the country. The area’s unemployment rate also fell over the same time period, from 4.0% to only 3.8%. Home to both Cornell University and Ithaca College, 54.6% of Ithaca adults have at least a bachelor’s degree, the largest share of any metro area in New York.

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24. Auburn-Opelika, AL
> Employment change: 4.41%
> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 67,726
> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 70,714
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.2%

Since October 2015, the Auburn metro area’s labor force — the number of people either employed or actively seeking work — grew by about 3,200, or about 4.4%. The number of employed people grew at about the same rate. In the last 12 months, the city added nearly 3,000 jobs, also a 4.4% growth rate.

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23. Eugene, OR
> Employment change: 4.44%
> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 162,780
> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 170,006
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.5%

The number of workers in Eugene, Oregon increased by 4.4% in the past year, one of the fastest rates in the country. It appears area employment has a good chance to continue growth in the coming year as well. Semiconductor supplier, Avago Industries, just bought a 1.2 million square foot plant in the city to manufacture cell phone components. The Eugene Chamber of Commerce anticipates the facility will bring hundreds of new jobs to the area.

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22. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
> Employment change: 4.44%
> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 1,879,073
> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 1,962,510
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.3%

Parts of the Detroit metro area are among the most economically depressed in the country. However, the broader metro area has added to its employment total faster than the vast majority of U.S. metros. Expanding by 83,400 workers, total employment in the area increased by 4.4% between October 2015 and October 2016. Employment in the majority of sectors in the area grew faster than their growth rates nationwide, including in the manufacturing sector, as well as the professional and business services sectors.

Source: Thinkstock

21. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
> Employment change: 4.47%
> No. of jobs Oct. 2015: 2,688,412
> No. of jobs Oct. 2016: 2,808,572
> Unemployment rate Oct. 2016: 5.0%

One of the largest metro areas in the country, Atlanta has also undergone one of the largest employment booms. Nearly every industry in the Atlanta metro added to employment totals in the past year, with the professional and business services sector adding the most new workers. Additionally, like many of the cities that added the most jobs, the Atlanta metro area reported an uptick in manufacturing employment, bucking the national trend of employment declines in the industry.