Tesla factory under construction in Austin in October. Photo: Bronte Wittpenn/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Cities far from the coasts have emerged as havens to job seekers and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an estimate from the Wall Street Journal.
How it works: To determine the strongest job market in the U.S., The Journal rated 53 regions with more than 1 million residents on factors that included unemployment rate, wages and change in payroll and size of workforce.
The top cities:
- Salt Lake City: No metropolitan area in the country expanded the size of its labor force more on than Utah’s capital, likely due to fewer business shutdowns and a young and well-educated workforce supporting a tech sector that was already fairing well before the pandemic, the WSJ noted.
- Austin: Texas' capital benefited from the migration of jobs in the tech and finance and sectors and its lower costs of living.
- Denver: Colorado's capital also benefited from a lower cost of living and an influx of tech and finance jobs.
- Indianapolis: Indiana's capital faired well due to its mix of industries, some of which is protected from health disasters, like its pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. Central Indiana is also home to a growing logistics and warehousing industry.
- Washington, D.C.