Find a Job You Really Want In
Did you look for a job in 2019? If so, you probably have a general feel for how your local job market it is. Which is good. Or bad. Or somewhere in between. Cities in the same state can have dramatically different job markets. Job hunting in one part of the state can be a piece of cake, while in another city it can be a herculean task to just land an interview.
Here at Zippia, we love math (and jobs!), so we delved into the data to determine where in 2019 it was easiest to find a job in California.
Here are the top 10, most sizzling hot job markets in California for 2019:
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
- Santa Rosa
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
- Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade
- Vallejo-Fairfield
- Bakersfield
- Napa
- Fresno
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande
There you have it, folks- the ten cities where it is easiest to get a job in California. Keep reading for a more detailed breakdown of how we reached these results. Your city not in the top 10? Keep scrolling to see where it landed on the full list.
How We Determined The Best Job Markets In California
We used the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics to pull data for the main California metro areas.
While unemployment rate can tell you a lot about the local job market, it is simply one metric and job markets are complex entities. We opted to take a more in-depth look at the best job markets in the country.
- Unemployment Rate
- Change In Unemployment Rate
- Wage Change
- Current Average Wage
The lower the score in each category the better. For example, San Jose had an average salary of $72,358, earning it the #1 spot in Current Average Wage. The four ranked categories were then averaged together to produce our final list. The final list ranks the 24 metro areas from 1-to-24. Once again, the lower the score, the stronger the job market.
Here is a more in-depth breakdown of the top 10, with the full list at the bottom:
1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Employed Population: 1,000,827
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Average Annual Wage: $72,358
2. Santa Rosa, CA
Employed Population: 246,663
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Average Annual Wage: $62,697
3.Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
Employed Population:402,333
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Average Annual Wage: $62,232
4. Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA
Employed Population: 992,325
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Average Annual Wage: $66,324
5.Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
Employed Population: 192,341
Unemployment Rate: 4%
Average Annual Wage: $64,034
6. Bakersfield, CA
Employed Population: 349,673
Unemployment Rate: 7.8%
Average Annual Wage: $60,472
7. Napa, CA
Employed Population: 70,513
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Average Annual Wage: $63,771
8. Fresno, CA
Employed Population: 395,031
Unemployment Rate: 7.3%
Average Annual Wage: $57,349
9. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Employed Population: 205,852
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Average Annual Wage: 62,243
10. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
Employed Population: 132,067
Unemployment Rate: 3%
Average Annual Wage: $59,195
Measuring The Best Job Markets
You might be reading this and thinking, “Hey, I live in San Jose and have been unemployed for months- this can’t be right!” That’s entirely possible.
While San Jose and the surrounding metro area have the hottest job market in California, personal finances can be, well, personal. Education, work experience, and occupation all play a big role in securing a job. However, overall, job seekers in San Jose will have an easier time than those in El Centro, which came in dead last.
Check out the full list below to see where your city landed.
| Rank | City | Unemployment Rate | Employed Population | Average Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | 2 | 1,000,827 | 72,358 |
| 2 | Santa Rosa | 2 | 246,663 | 62,697 |
| 3 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | 3 | 402,333 | 62,232 |
| 4 | Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade | 3 | 992,325 | 66,324 |
| 5 | Vallejo-Fairfield | 4 | 192,341 | 64,034 |
| 6 | Bakersfield | 7 | 349,673 | 60,472 |
| 7 | Napa | 2 | 70,513 | 63,771 |
| 8 | Fresno | 7 | 395,031 | 57,349 |
| 9 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | 3 | 205,852 | 62,243 |
| 10 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande | 3 | 132,067 | 59,195 |
| 11 | San Diego-Carlsbad | 3 | 1,471,425 | 65,450 |
| 12 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 4 | 1,824,810 | 61,823 |
| 13 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville | 4 | 132,575 | 63,663 |
| 14 | Salinas | 6 | 201,653 | 63,498 |
| 15 | Visalia-Porterville | 9 | 179,078 | 54,447 |
| 16 | Madera | 7 | 53,526 | 55,317 |
| 17 | Merced | 8 | 101,562 | 54,680 |
| 18 | Stockton-Lodi | 6 | 287,192 | 57,471 |
| 19 | Yuba City | 7 | 65,251 | 58,547 |
| 20 | Modesto | 6 | 218,119 | 55,989 |
| 21 | Redding | 5 | 68,435 | 55,670 |
| 22 | Chico | 5 | 93,930 | 52,891 |
| 23 | Hanford-Corcoran | 7 | 51,702 | 54,286 |
| 24 | El Centro | 19 | 58,727 | 53,387 |
Curious where this lands them nationally? Check out our national ranking of the best job markets in the US.
Author
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
