If you’re looking for work, look no further than the Lone Star State.
By 2028, job growth is expected to increase by double digits in 34 U.S. cities, according to Money’s analysis of data provided by economic research firm Moody’s Analytics, and more than a dozen of those cities are located in Texas.
Moody’s estimated job growth over a five-year period from 2023 to 2028 for more than 900 U.S. cities nationwide, and the firm shared its latest projections with Money. Based on these cities, national job growth is expected to be approximately 3.25% over the same time period.
Cities where a job boom is expected
Outside of Texas, several cities in Florida, Arizona and Colorado are expected to have a large influx of jobs in the coming years. On the other hand, none of the cities with the highest job growth rates are in the Northeast or on the West Coast.
Here are all the cities that Moody’s predicts will have at least 10% job growth between 2023 and 2028:
- New Braunfels, Texas: 21%
- Conroe, Texas: 16.7%
- The Woods, Texas: 16.7%
- Missouri City, Texas: 16.3%
- Sugarland, Texas: 16.3%
- Allen, Texas: 16.3%
- Frisco, Texas: 15.5%
- McKinney, Texas: 15.5%
- Plano, Texas: 15.5%
- Denton, Texas: 15.5%
- Flower Mound, Texas: 15.5%
- Lewisville, Texas: 15.5%
- Kissimmee, Florida: 15.2%
- San Marcos, Texas: 14.7%
- Cedar Park, Texas: 14.3%
- Georgetown, Texas: 14.3%
- Round Rock, Texas: 14.3%
- Casa Grande, Arizona: 14%
- Maricopa, Arizona: 14%
- San Tan Valley, Arizona: 14%
- Franklin, Tennessee: 12%
- Wesley Chapel, Florida: 11.7%
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee: 11.3%
- Palm Coast, Florida: 11.1%
- Caldwell, Idaho: 11%
- Nampa, Idaho: 11%
- Castle Rock, Colorado: 11%
- Highlands Ranch, Colorado: 11%
- Parker, Colorado: 11%
- Ashburn, Virginia: 11%
- Southaven, Mississippi: 11%
- Port St. Lucie, Florida: 10.4%
- Frederick, Maryland: 10.2%
- Pearland, Texas: 10%
Why Texas dominates job growth
Texas has been a hub of job creation in recent years, and Moody’s projections suggest that many Texas cities will maintain that trend for the foreseeable future.
Such good job forecasts have, in part, led several Texas cities such as Flower Mound, Round Rock and Sugar Land to appear as mainstays in Money’s rankings of best places to live and best places to retire in recent years.
According to the Texas State Department of Labor, the state added a total of 14.1 million jobs last year and experienced “27 consecutive months of new high employment levels” thanks to the boom in oil, financial services and of construction.
On Friday, however, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas hinted that the streak may soon end.
“We are cleared to land,” said Pia Orrenius, vice president of the Dallas Fed, “back to our long-term trend growth rate.” The Dallas Fed has said it expects the state to add 2% more jobs by the end of 2024 — a healthy pace but slower than the state’s meteoric growth of late.
Even so, Moody’s projections suggest that several Texas cities didn’t get the memo.
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