10 worst cities for jobs in 2019

The robust jobs market has continued to hold fast, but there are some parts of the country where opportunities aren’t as widely available. Finance website WalletHub evaluated cities with some of the best and worst opportunities for work.

In order to determine the best and worst job markets in the U.S., WalletHub analysts compared 182 U.S. cities — the 150 most populated cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across two key dimensions: “job market” and “socio-economic environment.” The personal-finance website assigned heavier weight to the former as the factors in that category most heavily influence a job seeker’s decision in terms of relocation for employment.

The job market ranking, comprising 80 points total, included a number of data points on job opportunities, employment growth and job securities. The socioeconomic portion, totaling 20 points, included data on median annual incomes, workplace accessibility and housing affordability.

The following cities ranked lowest on WalletHub’s list — and can provide employers in these areas the opportunity to boost benefit offerings and keep the best talent. The full report can be seen here.

Total score: 42.19
Job market rank (out of 182): 161
Socio-economic rank (out of 182): 180