Forbes: Dallas, Austin best big cities for jobs

​​​WASHINGTON – Dallas-Plano-Irving and Austin-Round Rock took the top two spots on Forbes‘ list of America’s best large cities for jobs ​​in 2018.

The Dallas area had 2.6 million jobs in 2017, a 2.8 percent increase from the previous​ year. That’s 19.6 percent growth since 2012 and 25.6 percent since 2006.

The city’s job growth is paced by strong population gain​. ​According to Forbes, the key to Dallas’ success is its relatively affordable housing, a favorable climate, low taxes, and an increasing array of cultural amenities. 

Second-ranked Austin had 1.05 million jobs last year, a 3.4 percent increase over 2016 and 39 percent since​ 2006. Like Dallas, the Texas Capital’s expansion is paced by strong population growth. 

The rest of the top ten are:

• No. 3 Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tenn.;​

• No. 4 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.;

• No. 5 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, N​.C.-S.C.;

• No. 6 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.;​​

• No. 7 Raleigh, N.C.;

• No. 8 San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco;​​

• No. 9 ​Seattle-Bellevue-Everett; and ​​​​​

• No. 10 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.