Job seekers are concentrating in two kinds of markets: high-volume metros with massive hiring needs and smaller metros with faster percentage growth. Your resume should reflect which market you are targeting.
Highest job volume metros (2024)
These metros have the most total openings and the widest range of roles.
- New York-Newark-Jersey City: +120,800 jobs, 13,330+ companies hiring
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: +84,000 jobs
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land: +78,000 jobs
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: 9,342+ employers hiring
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington: 7,260+ employers hiring
Fastest-growing metros by percentage
These markets are smaller but expanding quickly, which can mean less competition and faster hiring cycles.
- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise: +3.4% (hospitality rebound)
- Salt Lake City: +3.0% (emerging finance and tech hub)
- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale: +2.6% (manufacturing and tech relocation)
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale: +2.6% (finance and healthcare)
- Austin, TX: 16.3% of jobs in tech vs 9% national average
Tech-specific hotspots and purchasing power
For tech workers, the best purchasing power sits outside the traditional coastal hubs.
- Austin and Denver: strongest salary-to-cost-of-living balance.
- San Francisco and Seattle: highest total compensation, highest cost of living.
- Raleigh-Durham (Research Triangle): emerging hub with Apple and Google campuses.
Salary deltas to call out in resumes
Software engineer median salaries
| Metro | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| San Francisco | $180,570 |
| New York | $150,000 |
| Seattle | $145,000 |
| Austin | $120,000 |
| Dallas | $110,000 |
Two compensation signals matter in 2025:
- 66% of managers offer up to a 20% salary premium for in-office presence (4 to 5 days).
- Equity compensation is up 42% YoY at tech companies.
How to use location in your resume
- If you are open to relocation, state it clearly in the header or summary.
- Use metro-specific keywords for regulated roles (healthcare systems, finance, or public sector).
- Align your experience to the dominant industries in the metro you are targeting.
If you want a broader market view, see The US job market in 2025.
Sources referenced in this guide
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics (metro volume and growth)
- The Interview Guys (tech hub insights)
- Jobsolv and Levels.fyi (salary data)
- Robert Half and Second Talent (compensation signals)