Cleveland Among Worst Cities For Job Hunters: Study

CLEVELAND — A new report says Cleveland is among the 10 worst cities for job hunters. The study, compiled by personal finance website WalletHub, said Cleveland performed below average in number of job opportunities offered, monthly salary for employees and median annual income.

The study offered few surprises: the cities with the most expansive job markets tend to be on the West Coast, with Arizona, California and Texas placing multiple cities in the top 10 for best cities for job hunters. The cities at the bottom of the list tended to skew Rust Belt-y: Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit and Huntington, West Virginia were all in the bottom 10.

Detroit was ranked as the worst city for job seekers. Scottsdale, Arizona was the best city for job hunters.

WalletHub's study surveyed 182 cities and then ranked them, first to last. The study looked at a variety of metrics. Here's how Cleveland performed on those metrics (91st is average):

• 114th – Job Opportunities
• 107th – Employment Growth
• 177th – Unemployment Rate
• 20th – Industry Variety
• 103rd – Monthly Average Starting Salary
• 175th – % of Workforce Living in Poverty
• 180th – Median Annual Income*
• 25th – Housing Affordability
• 32nd – Avg. Work & Commute Time

Cleveland's performance put it in the bottom 5 for annual median income and unemployment rate. It's unclear how much cost-of-living factored into the rankings, but Cleveland's housing stock affordability boosted the city slightly in the rankings.

WalletHub's full study can be found on their website.