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Summer Jobs Seekers, Here are the Top Spots for Work in the U.S.

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Tony Maples Photography

 

When school lets out for summer, many students search for summer jobs. If you need work, apply early for the best chance at landing a job, but even a great resume and early application may not guarantee you work. Where you live also may play a role in your chances of getting a summer job. Do you know how much your hometown affects your summer job search?

Teenagers Sitting with Skateboards and Snacks

Photo: Flickr/sc.lover

WalletHub examined the job industry across the United States and aggregated the data to narrow down the best and worst places for summer job seekers. Information used in the ratings included the number of summer jobs and internships available, how many were between the ages of 16 and 24, and the cost for a single bedroom property. Overall, analysts used a total of 21 data points in two categories (social environment and affordability and youth job market). Scores from these categories determined the best cities for youth employment over the summer months. Some of the rankings may surprise you.

Sunset on Hermosa Beach in Summer

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The top spot for summer jobs overall was Orlando, Florida, which also had the top youth job market rank. This city offered an average of 127.31 jobs per 1000 16 to 24-year-olds. Compare that to the city with the fewest for available part-time jobs for youth, Las Vegas, Nevada, which only had 7.86 jobs per 1000 youth. Unemployment for those 16 to 24 also played a crucial role in the rankings. The city with the lowest youth unemployment was Madison, Wisconsin, which was 8.84 percent. Compare this to Detroit, which had the highest youth unemployment rate, 41.50 percent.

Summer Jobs Include Boys Mowing the Lawn

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Though the analysts looked at the availability of jobs, they also examined the social environment for youth and young adults in the 150 cities studied. They found only 9.1 percent of youth in Gilbert, Arizona, lived below the poverty line, but 57.7 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds in Tallahassee, Florida, lived in poverty, for the lowest ranking in this category. Those looking for housing could find the cheapest rent-to-income ratio in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for a one-bedroom apartment. San Francisco, California, had the highest value in this category.

How did the Texas Hill Country stack up in the rankings? Not all Texas cities were evaluated. In fact, only Austin and San Antonio represented the Hill Country in the rankings. Austin ranked 26 overall and 26 in the youth job market rankings, but it was 46 on the affordability and social environment list. San Antonio did not fare as well. It came in 75 overall and 48 for its youth job market. Unfortunately, the social environment and affordability ranking for San Antonio put it toward the bottom of that list, at 123.

These rankings merely reflect collected data. If you need a job this summer, don’t let the results discourage you. Go out there and find the work you need.