The 10 Best Cities For Jobs In 2015

Getting a job is really hard. That's not just a mantra I repeat like a broken record to my parents while I work constantly to prepare them for the distinct possibility that my Philosophy and English degrees won't in fact lead to an immediate career opportunity upon graduation. It's really true: Getting a job is hard even for people with skills more marketable than, "I know a lot about Descartes" and "I am good at writing puns." But sometimes location can help — so it's worth asking the question, what are the best cities for jobs right now? For example (and this may come as a surprise to a lot of people), New York is a very competitive job market. It's also really hard to date there, apparently, according to several seasons of Sex and the City.

But getting a job isn't everything. Many people are interested not only in getting a job, but also in getting a job that they'll actually enjoy. That's where Glassdoor's job rankings come in.

Glassdoor just released a ranking of the "25 Best Cities for Jobs." They came up with a "Glassdoor Job Score" based on weighing three factors equally: "How easy it is to get a job (hiring opportunity), how affordable it is to live there (cost of living), and how satisfied employees are working there (job satisfaction)." The scoring is on a five-point scale, with the highest city coming at 4.1 (evidently there is no perfect city when it comes to getting a job).

Here are the top 10 cities for jobs in the US; head on over to Glassdoor to see the full list of all 25.

1. Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh got a Glassdoor job score of 4.1. With 24,146 job openings, and a population of just 1,242,974, the Raleigh job market is hot, and the cost of living is reasonable, with a median base salary of $50,950 and a median home value of $198,40. Raleigh has a job satisfaction rating of 3.3, and I'm not sure they factored this in, but it also has some killer barbecue. That probably contributes to overall happiness. Just saying.

2. Kansas City, Missouri

I've always thought it was a bit weird that Kansas City is in Missouri, but that's sort of a personal problem. In any event, KC received a Glassdoor job score of 3.9, with 28,786 job openings, a population of 2,071,133, a median base salary of $46,000 and a median home value of $138,500. The job satisfaction rating of people in Missouri is 3.2

3. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

See, now that's a name that makes sense. Oklahoma City got a Glassdoor job score of 3.9. OKC (is that the Oklahoma City nickname or the OK Cupid one?) has 16,759 job openings, a population of 1,336,767, a median base salary of $38,100, a median home value of $129,400, and a job satisfaction rating of 3.3.

4. Austin, Texas

It turns out Austin isn't just home to SXSW, it's also one of the best places to have a job. Glasdoor gave it a job score of 3.9 (I'm sensing a theme here), with 33,198 job openings for 1,943,299 people, and a median base salary of $50,000. The median home value is $226,400. Austin residents have a job satisfaction rating of 3.3.

5. Seattle, Washington

Seattle might be rainy, but that doesn't stop people from liking their jobs there, I guess. Seattle got a job score of 3.9 as well, due to its rate of 69,423 jobs for 3,671,478 residents, a very high median base salary of $70,000, and a median home value of $344,700. Job satisfaction for Seattlites (is that a word? Unclear, but it should be) is 3.3.

6. Salt Lake City, Utah

Must be something in the water over there (yeah, it's probably salt). Salt Lake City got a job score of 3.8, with stats like: 17,970 job openings, 1,153,340 people, a median base salary of $44,000, a median home value of $224,000, and a job satisfaction rating of 3.4.

7. San Jose, California

Finally, one of the cities is in my home state. It doesn't come as a huge surprise that the best place to get a job in CA right now is in the heart of Silicon Valley. If only I knew how to code, I could "lean in" to San Jose and snap up one of the 51,439 job openings with a median base salary of $99,000 (hey, tech pays, man). The population is 1,952,87, the median home value is $863,800 (you read that correctly), and the job satisfaction rating is 3.5.

8. Louisville, Kentucky

The 'Ville has a 3.7 job score, with 16,295 job openings for 1,269,702 people. The median base salary is $40,000, with a median home value of $131,100 and a job satisfaction rating of 3.2. My personal theory is that happiness is really due to proximity to the cool hats of the Kentucky Derby. I could be wrong... but let's face it: I'm not wrong. The theory is bulletproof.

9. San Antonio, Texas

Texas strikes again. Maybe we should just all pack up our stuff and move to the Lone Star State, become football fans, and eat only Tex-Mex food (this is actually sounding kind of appealing, presuming of course that everyone there looks like Tim Riggins). San Antonio has a job score of 3.7, along with 29,980 job openings, 2,328,652 people, a $40,000 median base salary, a $147,600 median home value, and a 3.3 job satisfaction rating.

10. Washington, D.C.

Assuming everyone doesn't act like Underwoods, Washington, D.C. seems like a pretty cool place to live. D.C. has a job score of 3.7, and 116,770 job openings for its 6,033,737 residents. The median base salary is $61,000 (government jobs, man) and the median home value is $361,200. Average job satisfaction rating is 3.4.

Images: Boston Public Library, Brian Hillegas, Kool Cats Photography, Jeremy Keith, Lyte Fyre, Ron Reiring, Kasra Afzali, The Pug Father, Nan Palmero, Vinoth Chandar/Flickr