Top 10 Financially Stable Cities in America

The global economic outlook is strong, according to recent information from Goldman Sachs. The firm predicts that global growth will reach 4 percent in the next year. The U.S. economy as we head into the new year is showing strong momentum and the unemployment rate is already below what the Federal Reserve deems as sustainable. Overall, the current economic environment is about “as good as it gets,” according to Jan Hatzius, Goldman Sachs’ chief economist.

Of course there are U.S. cities that are more financially stable than others. Here, we’ll take a look at 10 that are expected to top the list in 2018 based on growth, employment, and business opportunities. This list can help you gauge where you’ll have the best shot at getting your credit and finances in shape, and ideally, getting ahead with your personal finances.

Provo, Utah

This city was recently ranked as the best-performing city by the Miliken Institute, thanks to its robust high-tech sector and broad-based job and wage growth. The Provo/Orem region added 5,500 high-tech jobs between 2011 and 2016. San Jose, California-based Adobe has a major presence there and the region’s flagship college, Brigham Young University also accounts for a considerable amount of employment opportunities.

Raleigh, North Carolina

Thanks to its low business costs and thriving research and development-driven industries, this city presents those looking for a new place to call home with big opportunities. Job growth over the next 10 years is predicted to be 42.66 percent. Raleigh’s competitive business climate continues to attract employers looking to relocate operations away from rising rents in major metro cities.

Fort Collins, Colorado

This northern Colorado city is home to Colorado State University and it’s growing fast with many job opportunities in the tech sector. The average annual salary for one of the city’s major tech companies, Agilent Technologies, is $81,050. In fact, the whole of northern Colorado is growing right along with the rest of the state, with expectations of growing its population an additional 30,000 residents by 2040.

Dallas, Texas

There are many Texas cities that could also make the list of financially stable cities, including Austin and San Antonio. But the Dallas/Plano/Irving region ranks in the top 10 thanks to its significant employment gains and overall strong economy. The region added 50,000 jobs in the high-skill professional, scientific, and technical service industries between 2011 and 2016. Dallas also has a stronghold in the housing market and is expected to lead in home sales in 2018. The median home price in the region is $339,950.

San Francisco, California

The Golden City ranks high thanks to its steady increase in wages over the past seven years. Not surprisingly, the region’s tech growth continues to far outpace the rest of the country at 60 percent higher than the national average. Despite higher-than-average median salaries, extremely high housing prices make this city out of reach when it comes to a place to call home. In 2016, the median sales price for a single-family home was over $1 million.

Bradenton/Sarasota, Florida

If you’re looking exclusively for string job growth, the Brandenton/Sarasota/North Port area is the place to be. It tops the chart in 12-month job growth. Last year the state of Florida’s unemployment fell to 3.7 percent, its lowest level in more than a decade. The current median salary is $40,592 and the median home price is $279,000.

Nashville, Tennessee

Music City continues to outpace many other major metros in job and wage growth, with wages growing 36 percent from 2010 to 2015. Some 8,000 jobs were added across the professional, scientific, technical services, administration and support services industries in 2015 and 2016. Home to Vanderbilt University, Nashville also produces a large pool of employment talent and itself employs some 60,000 people. The salary average is $50,913.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Like its eastern counterpart Raleigh, low business costs continue to attract employers to the Charlotte region. The professional, scientific, and technical services industries grew about 9 percent from 2015 to 2016, adding some 5,800 jobs. Median housing prices in the region — which was so hard hit in the housing crisis a decade ago — rebounded to $245,000 in 2016.

Atlanta, Georgia

Known as the Empire City of the South, Atlanta grew its job economy by 45,000 people in 2016, spanning industries including dining, health, construction, and film and television. While salaries in the region aren’t exceptionally high (averaging $58,899), that is balanced by a lower median home price of $218,350 as compared to booming housing markets like those in Denver, Seattle and San Francisco.
Seattle, Washington

While the city has always been a popular tourist destination, it has recently gained attention for a consistently strong job market over the past decade. With both Amazon and Microsoft headquartered in the city, software developers continue to flock there where they can earn an average salary of $132,000. For those looking for tech and software opportunities, Seattle presents a much more affordable option than San Francisco. The median sales price for existing single-family homes at the end of 2016 was $468,785, compared to $1,056,561 in the San Francisco Bay area.

If you’re concerned about your credit, you can check your three credit reports for free once a year. To track your credit more regularly, Credit.com’s free Credit Report Card is an easy-to-understand breakdown of your credit report information that uses letter grades—plus you get a free credit score updated every 14 days.

You can also carry on the conversation on our social media platforms. Like and follow us on Facebook and leave us a tweet on Twitter.

Image: zhudifeng