Hottest job markets: Mid-sized cities with universities

St. George, Utah ranks as the fourth best city for job growth in America.

With a 23.4% job growth rate, St. George metropolitan area is seeing job growth in trade, transportation and utilities at a 7.5 percent growth, leisure and hospitality at 6.5 percent and education and health services at 5.5 percent. In a recent analysis of Washington County’s economy, the Department of Workforce Services says all of this continued growth is likely to put “upward pressure” on wages, which are currently, on average, below the rest of the state.

The hottest job markets today are mid-sized cities with universities and large employers. The national unemployment rate hovers at 3.7 percent.

Here are the top 10 cities with job growth in the country:

Lake Charles, Louisiana        28.3 percent
Bend-Redmond, Oregon     26.6 percent
Elkhart, Indiana                    24 percent
St. George, Utah                  23.4 percent
Greeley, Colorado                21.1 percent
Gainesville, Georgia             20.9 percent
Fayetteville, Arkansas          20 percent
Boise City, Idaho                 18.6 percent
Austin, Texas                       18.4 percent
Reno, Nevada                     18 percent