Top Jobs Markets Keep Growing

Myrtle Beach, Charleston see top YoY percentage gains.

Seven of the top 10 jobs markets RealPage tracks increased payrolls in April.

Myrtle Beach (up 130 bps and 5.3%) and Charleston (up 40 bps and 4.5%) ranked first and second, respectively, in percentage gains.

More impressive is that this comes despite slowing employment gains at the national level.

Of the seven top cities, they each increased their 12-month totals from March by an average of 14,500 jobs, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The remaining three markets had only slight decreases in their annual job gain totals from the previous month.

New York remained at the top in job creation at 107,300 gained for the year-ending April, increasing by 36,100 jobs from March. Houston stayed at No. 2 with a gain of 80,700 jobs through April, up 13,300 jobs for the month.

Dallas moved into third ahead of Phoenix with 53,600 jobs gained, adding 10,300 more than in March. Phoenix fell to fourth after dropping 2,100 jobs to a total of 50,700 new jobs through April.

Las Vegas is now at the No. 5 spot, gaining 43,000 jobs for the year, up 8,400 jobs from March’s total. Philadelphia moved up two spots to sixth with 39,500 jobs gained, also up by about 8,000 jobs from last month. Atlanta joined the top 10 list this month at No. 7 with 38,800 new jobs, 9,400 more than in March.

Miami fell to eighth and Los Angeles rejoined the top job gain list at No. 9. Sacramento fell three places to No. 10.

Outside of the top growth markets, Stockton-Lodi, Calif., New Haven, Conn., Santa Rosa, Calif., Boulder, Colo., and Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn. saw their job growth rates increase by 100 bps or more from last year.

Meanwhile, Midland/Odessa, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Tenn., Orlando, Nashville, Shreveport, Lou., Portland, Ore., and Denver fell by at least 300 bps from last year’s job growth.

Declining major markets were Portland, Memphis, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Milwaukee. Sub-0.5% growth markets include Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Knoxville.