Best cities for jobs: Pittsburgh is No. 1, followed by St. Louis and Indianapolis, Glassdoor says

Paul Davidson | USA TODAY

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With unemployment at a 50-year low and job openings at a record high, workers are enjoying more opportunities and leverage than they've had in years.

And since Americans have more choices about where to live and work, Glassdoor has sorted through the options and ranked Pittsburgh as the best large metro area for jobs in 2018. Rounding out the top five are St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Hartford, Connecticut, according to the job posting site.

The rankings are based on the number of hiring opportunities relative to population, the area’s affordability and job satisfaction. Glassdoor rated the top 25 best regions for jobs among the 50 largest metro areas.

Nationally, unemployment fell to 3.7 percent last month, lowest since December 1969. And there were a record 7.1 million job openings in August, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

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The Glassdoor study offers a more holistic view of the top labor markets than the raw numbers reported by Labor. By the latter measure, the Minneapolis-St. Paul area had the lowest unemployment rate in August at 2.5 percent, followed by San Jose, California; San Francisco; Austin, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee. And Orlando, Florida, notched the fastest job growth.

“Not only do job seekers want to be able to find a good job – they want to be able to afford the cost of living and they want to be satisfied” with their work, says Amanda Stansell, Glassdoor’s economic research analyst.

As a result, she notes, the Glassdoor list is dominated by many midsize cities with perhaps fewer job opportunities but a lower cost of living.

Here are the study’s top 10 cities for jobs:

• Pittsburgh: The area ranked fourth in hiring opportunities and second in affordability, with a median base salary of $46,500 and median home value of $141,300. Consistently named among the nation’s most livable cities, the steel-making stronghold has transformed itself into a biotech hub and is home to dozens of universities, including Carnegie Mellon.

Hot jobs: Financial adviser, registered nurse, warehouse worker

• St. Louis: Ranked sixth in cost of living and 11th in job satisfaction. St. Louis is home to corporations such as Anheuser-Busch, Emerson and Panera Bread.

Median base salary: $48,000

Median home value: $161,400

Hot jobs: Cloud engineer, business analyst, insurance agent

• Indianapolis: Ranked seventh in cost of living and 17th in hiring opportunities. The finance and insurance center is also enjoying a technology hotbed.

Median base salary: $45,000

Median home value: $152,800

Hot jobs: Mechanical engineer, marketing manager, truck driver

• Cincinnati: Ranked eighth in cost of living and 16th in hiring opportunities. It’s among the fastest growing economies in the Midwest.

Median base salary: $45,000

Median home value: $160,900

Hot jobs: Account executive, software engineer, sales associate

• Hartford, Connecticut: The insurance hub ranked eighth in hiring opportunities and 18th in cost of living.

Median base salary: $55,000

Median home value: $227,600

Hot jobs: Electrical engineer, teacher, maintenance technician

• Boston: An international center for universities, technology and biotech, the area ranked first in hiring opportunities and eighth in job satisfaction.

Median base salary: $62,000

Median Home value: $455,600

Hot jobs: Software engineer, project manager, administrative assistant

• Memphis, Tennessee: The arts-and-entertainment hotbed ranked first in cost of living and 23rd in job satisfaction.

Median base salary: $43,900

Median home value: $133,100

Hot jobs: Product manager, account executive, restaurant manager

• Raleigh, North Carolina: The area is a pillar of Research Triangle, a thriving ecosystem of universities and science and technology companies. Ranked sixth in hiring opportunities at 14th and sixth in job satisfaction.

Median base salary: $50,000

Median home value: $255,000

Hot jobs: Registered nurse, research associate, business analyst

• Cleveland: The health care stronghold ranked third in cost of living and 32nd In hiring opportunities.

Median base salary: $46,000

Median home value: $141,100

Hot jobs: Java engineer, consultant, store manager

• Detroit: The Motor City has been revived as an auto manufacturing hub. Ranked third in cost of living and 32nd in hiring opportunities.

Median base salary: $50,000

Median home value: $154,900

Hot jobs: Manufacturing engineer, data scientist, auto technician