Wesley Chapel is at the top of the list for “best job market” in Florida, according to a report from WalletHub on 2016’s Best & Worst Florida Cities for Finding a Job.
The Washington D.C.-based financial website ranked 130 cities in the state in three categories: job market, socio-economic environment and overall.
While Wesley Chapel came in first, Lutz and Land O’ Lakes ranked 16 and 17, respectively, as best job markets.
In this category, reviewers looked at job opportunities, employment growth, starting salaries and unemployment rates.
In ranking for socio-economic environment, they considered median annual income, average commute times, employee benefits, housing and transportation costs, crime rates and social life, such as things to do and places to go.
Wesley Chapel scored second in affordable housing and third for lowest unemployment for high school graduates.
Overall, Wesley Chapel’s scores earned a fourth place finish behind Sarasota in first place, Jacksonville Beach in second place and Pensacola in third place.
Still, average workdays and commute times were factors working against Wesley Chapel, which mustered only a 66th place on socio-economic environment factors alone.
Lutz ranked 27th on the socio-economic score and 11th overall, while Land O’ Lakes languished in 113th place in socio-economic rankings and 46th overall.
Tampa ranked 15th in the job market, ninth in socio-economic environment and sixth overall. Brandon came in second behind Wesley Chapel in job market, 68th in socio-economic environment and fifth overall.
Spring Hill was 126th overall, 121st in the job market and 125th in socio-economic.
Miami Gardens sat at the bottom of the list overall and in job market, and rose only to 124th spot on the socio-economic
scale.
The full WalletHub report is available at WalletHub.com/edu/best-cities-in-florida-for-jobs/21610.
Published July 6, 2016
