The 4 Cities Creating the Most White-Collar Jobs

The professional and business services industry remains a strong part of the U.S. economy, adding jobs even when other sectors are weak, and offering significantly higher wages than other service-providing industries. In a recent piece for Forbes, Joel Kotkin and Mike Shires analyzed employment growth in professional and business services for 366 metro areas and ranked them. Let’s take a look at the big cities that came in at the very top of the list.

1. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee.

(Business services jobs: 16.39 percent.)

Although the current share of business services jobs in this region isn’t as high as other cities on the list, the job growth in this category since 2015 is 7.7 percent. What’s more, from 2010 to 2015, the growth in business services employment was 47.2 percent. The industry has been, and continues to be, on the rise in a big way, and white-collar workers would be smart to turn their attention to this region of Tennessee if they’re seeking new opportunities.

2. San Francisco-Redwood City, California.

(Business services jobs: 25.21 percent.)

Just north of the traditional Silicon Valley region (see No. 4 on this list) this part of Northern California also stands as a beacon for white-collar industry and professionals. Although it’s also one of the most expensive cities in the country, San Francisco is also a wonderful place to lay down professional roots. It’s a good option for job seekers to consider, provided they can afford it.

3. Austin-Round Rock, Texas.

(Business services jobs: 16.89 percent.)

With steady and impressive growth in business services employment since at least 2010, the Austin-Round Rock region lands at number three on the list of the best cities for white-collar jobs. It also landed at No. 22 on WalletHub’s list of the best cities for families in 2015, in large part due to a high “Education and Child Care Rank,” giving professionals just one more reason to consider a move to Austin-Round Rock.

4. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California.

(Business services jobs: 20.98 percent.)

Silicon Valley may not have increased its number of business services jobs at the same rate as other regions on the list (6.7 percent increase in 2015, and a 36.4 percent increase since 2010) but there is still considerable growth. Also, with more than one in five jobs in the local economy stemming from the industry, this region remains one of the best areas for job seekers in this category.

For more information, see Forbes‘ list of the 15 big cities where white-collar employment is booming.

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