Moneybox

Looking for a Job? Move to Oklahoma City or New Orleans or Maybe Washington, D.C.

A mighty struggle between representatives of two of the lowest unemployment cities in America

Photograph by Rob Carr/Getty Images.

The new metro area unemployment numbers are out, and the winner for lowest unemployment among American metropolitan areas is once again Bismarck, N.D. at 2.6 percent. That said, Bismarck is tiny and unemployment there is actually on the rise from 2.2 percent in October so it seems like if a mass of unemployed people showed up things might break down.

In terms of large metropolitan areas with populations of over 1 million, you ought to set your sails for Oklahama City (4.5 percent) or New Orleans (4.7 percent and falling fast) as labor markets that are both hot and clearly seem to have the ability to absorb more people. Tulsa, right by Oklahoma City and by some accounts featuring more cultural amenities (can’t say for sure since I haven’t been to OKC, but that was the propaganda I heard from Tulsans) is also doing quite well with a 5.1 percent unemployment rate but not quite as well as the D.C. area where we’re at 5 percent.