Retail Latin America: Here are the best cities to find a job in 2015

This map shows the 10 cities with lowest unemployment rates, where jobs are begging for workers.

Unemployment is down to 5.5% nationally. It’s good new for job hunters, but it may have some benefits for all in the workforce. Wages seem to be on the rise, although different measures offer conflicting views on how much. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at the end of the first quarter of 2015, real hourly compensation was up 1.8% over the previous year and jumped at an annualized rate of 5.5% compared to the last quarter of 2014. And in 2014, voluntary quits were up 10.4% over 2013, which means people have been increasingly willing to leave one job for another.

These indicators suggest that reduced unemployment is likely tightening the labor market and driving up compensation. It’s basic economics: The more people that are employed, the fewer available to an employer for a given position. The fewer candidates available, the poorer the employer’s bargaining position.

If you want a job, looking in a geographic area with unemployment rates lower than the national average is probably a good idea. Hiring managers can’t as easily say, “Thank you—next!” There are other benefits, as well. The tighter the labor market, the more companies have to entice candidates away from competitors with better wages, among other things. You also have more options if you find that a particular company won’t be a fit. Negotiation suddenly tips more in your favor.

A city’s unemployment rate isn’t the only factor that affects your ability to land a job, of course. Some places may have any employers in a specific industry like healthcare, tech, insurance, energy, or manufacturing. That’s good for a job seeker in that field, by not such a benefit if you’re a stone cutter in a land of bankers. Large natural disasters could potentially take a location from a hotbed of hiring to a candidate for an economic recovery ward in a matter of hours. Some regions might offer tax breaks that encourage companies to hire. But all other things being equal, low unemployment is a boon to a candidate.

To that end, Fortune combined Census population data with Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment rates by metropolitan area to find how average unemployment rates fared for the 100 largest cities in the country. They ranged from 2.1% in Lincoln, Nebraska to Bakersfield, California’s 10.3%, big swings from the national rate of 5.5%.

For a list of all the cities with a current unemployment rate of less than 4% unemployment, here’s an interactive map.

Here are the top 10 cities. Major industry information and selections of some of the largest employers come from City-Data.com, metropolitan chambers of commerce and other sources.

Photograph by Matthew Busch — Bloomberg via Getty Images Lincoln, Nebraska

Photograph by Yiming Chen — Getty Images

Rank: 1
Population: 272,996
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%

Industries: Government, communications, distribution, wholesaling, train manufacture and repair, flour and feed milling, grain storage, and diversified manufacturing

Largest employers: State of Nebraska, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Bryan Health, U.S. Government, Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center, Burlington Northern Railroad, Kawasaki Motors Mfg. Corp. KWHIY 0.30%

Omaha, Nebraska

Photograph by Edward M. Eveld — Kansas City Star MCT via Getty Images

Rank: 2
Population: 446,599
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%

Industries: Trade, transportation, utilities, education, health services, and professional and business services, with some manufacturing, construction, mining, and information

Largest employers: Offutt Air Force Base, Alegent Creighton Health, Methodist Health System, The Nebraska, First Data Corp., Union Pacific UNP 0.15% , First National Bank of Omaha, ConAgra Foods CAG -0.30%

Austin, Texas

Photograph by Anne Rippy — Getty Images

Rank: 3
Population: 912,791
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%

Industries: Advanced manufacturing, clean energy and power transfer, corporate headquarters and regional offices, creative and digital media technology, data management, life sciences

Largest employers: State of Texas, Dell Computer, IBM IBM -1.02% , University of Texas at Austin, Seton Healthcare Network, Whole Foods Market WFM -0.22%

Lubbock, Texas

Photograph by Denis Jr. Tangney — Getty Images

Rank: 4
Population: 243,839
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%

Industries: Energy, engineering, warehousing and distribution, call centers, information technology services, software, education, and healthcare

Largest employers: Texas Tech University, Covenant Health, University Medical Center, United Supermarkets, Convergys CVG -1.50%

Madison, Wisconsin

Photograph by Henryk Sadura — Getty Images/Tetra images RF

Rank: 5
Population: 245,691
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%

Industries: Healthcare, agriculture, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, bio-agriculture, bio-medicine, and R&D

Largest employers: Epic Systems Corp, American Family Insurance, Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer KRFT 0.24% ,Covance Laboratories CVD 0.00% , CUNA Mutual, Sub-Zero and University of Wisconsin-Madison

Irvine, California

Photograph by Patricia Marroquin — Moment Editorial/Getty Images

Rank: 6
Population: 248,531
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%

Industries: Corporate offices, healthcare, semiconductors, software, aerospace, and telecommunications

Largest employers: Walt Disney; University of California, Irvine; St. Joseph Health; The Irvine Company

San Antonio, Texas

Photograph by Danita Delimont — Getty Images/Gallo Images

Rank: 7
Population: 1,436,697
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%

Industries: Business and IT services, biomedical and biotechnology, energy, auto manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, military

Largest employers: H-E-B, USAA, Cullen / Frost Bankers, Valero Energy, Rackspace, Southwest Research Institute, Toyota Motoring Manufacturing

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Photograph by Chris Pritchard — Getty Images

Rank: 8
Population: 620,602
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%

Industries: Aerospace, biotechnology, energy, business services, transportation and logistics, healthcare, hospitality and entertainment, telecommunications

Largest employers: State of Oklahoma, Tinker Air Force Base, FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, INTEGRIS Health, Hobby Lobby Stores, OGE Energy OGE -0.82%

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

Photograph by Henryk Sadura — Getty Images/Moment Open

Rank: 9
Population: 704,847
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%

Industries: Corporate offices and business services, agriculture and water technology, health and life sciences, technology, and financial services

Largest employers: UnitedHealth Group UNH -0.28% , US Bancorp USB -0.73% , 3M MMM -1.06% ,Target TGT 1.30% , Medtronic MDT -0.09% ,Ameriprise Financial AMP -0.27% , General Mills GIS -0.60% , Ecolab ECL -0.36% , Xcel Energy XEL -0.76% , Best Buy BBY -0.47%

Honolulu, Hawaii

Photograph by Getty Images

Rank: 10
Population: 350,399
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%

Industries: Tourism, military, defense, defense contracting, agriculture, and biotech

Largest employers: Hawaii Electric Industries HE -0.53% , Hawaii Medical Service Association, Matson MATX -0.67% , Aloha Petroleum, Alexander & Baldwin ALEX -0.70%

Retail Latin America

2015/06/15

Here are the best cities to find a job in 2015