NextChapter

Best county job markets for job seekers in the Southeast

Wake County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the Southeast, with a score of 87 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census data.

Key facts

  • #1 Wake County, NC: 87 / 100
  • #2 Madison County, AL: 87 / 100
  • #3 Miami-Dade County, FL: 82 / 100
  • 77 counties ranked in the Southeast
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Wake County NC87 / 100
  2. 2Madison County AL87 / 100
  3. 3Miami-Dade County FL82 / 100
  4. 4New Hanover County NC80 / 100
  5. 5Anderson County TN78 / 100
  6. 6Loudoun County VA77 / 100
  7. 7Mecklenburg County NC77 / 100
  8. 8Durham County NC76 / 100
  9. 9Arlington County VA75 / 100
  10. 10Knox County TN75 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Wake County leads on 87 / 100, and #10 Knox County is at 75 / 100.
  • New Hanover County reaches #4 on a sample of 195 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Miami-Dade County is the largest market in the top ten, with 3,265 openings behind its figure.
  • Counties with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

A good job market is more than one number. This list weighs openings per unemployed person, the unemployment rate, job growth and population growth, with the weights shown.

How to use it

Use it to shortlist counties to research. Open the county page for the employers, colleges and job centers behind the score.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Wake County NC

    87 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    Unemployment rate
    2.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +7.3%

    Based on 1,908 openings.

    Wake County job market

  2. 2

    Madison County AL

    87 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    17
    Unemployment rate
    3.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +7.8%

    Based on 1,230 openings.

    Madison County job market

  3. 3

    Miami-Dade County FL

    82 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    12
    Unemployment rate
    1.9%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +7.8%

    Based on 3,265 openings.

    Miami-Dade County job market

  4. 4

    New Hanover County NC

    80 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    2.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +6.3%

    Based on 195 openings.

    New Hanover County job market

  5. 5

    Anderson County TN

    78 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    19
    Unemployment rate
    3.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.7%

    Based on 212 openings.

    Anderson County job market

  6. 6

    Loudoun County VA

    77 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    Unemployment rate
    3.4%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +13.9%

    Based on 638 openings.

    Loudoun County job market

  7. 7

    Mecklenburg County NC

    77 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    15
    Unemployment rate
    3.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.0%

    Based on 3,231 openings.

    Mecklenburg County job market

  8. 8

    Durham County NC

    76 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    14
    Unemployment rate
    2.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.0%

    Based on 759 openings.

    Durham County job market

  9. 9

    Arlington County VA

    75 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    45
    Unemployment rate
    2.9%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.6%

    Based on 1,989 openings.

    Arlington County job market

  10. 10

    Knox County TN

    75 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    2.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.4%

    Based on 443 openings.

    Knox County job market

  11. 11

    Hall County GA

    73 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    3.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +8.1%

    Based on 110 openings.

    Hall County job market

  12. 12

    Davidson County TN

    72 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    13
    Unemployment rate
    2.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.7%

    Based on 1,636 openings.

    Davidson County job market

  13. 13

    Richmond city VA

    72 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    22
    Unemployment rate
    4.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +9.0%

    Based on 1,147 openings.

    Richmond city job market

  14. 14

    Charleston County SC

    71 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +6.0%

    Based on 327 openings.

    Charleston County job market

  15. 15

    Cabarrus County NC

    70 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    3.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +11.0%

    Based on 103 openings.

    Cabarrus County job market

  16. 16

    Greenville County SC

    69 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.7%

    Based on 371 openings.

    Greenville County job market

  17. 17

    Williamson County TN

    69 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    9
    Unemployment rate
    2.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +0.3%

    Based on 335 openings.

    Williamson County job market

  18. 18

    Iredell County NC

    69 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    9
    Unemployment rate
    2.9%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +0.1%

    Based on 259 openings.

    Iredell County job market

  19. 19

    Hamilton County TN

    66 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    3.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +8.1%

    Based on 204 openings.

    Hamilton County job market

  20. 20

    Rutherford County TN

    65 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    2
    Unemployment rate
    2.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.6%

    Based on 105 openings.

    Rutherford County job market

  21. 21

    Franklin County KY

    64 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    16
    Unemployment rate
    3.9%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +6.6%

    Based on 170 openings.

    Franklin County job market

  22. 22

    Chatham County GA

    61 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.6%

    Based on 217 openings.

    Chatham County job market

  23. 23

    Hillsborough County FL

    60 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    4.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +6.1%

    Based on 1,856 openings.

    Hillsborough County job market

  24. 24

    DeSoto County MS

    60 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.0%

    Based on 113 openings.

    DeSoto County job market

  25. 25

    Brevard County FL

    58 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    4.6%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.3%

    Based on 779 openings.

    Brevard County job market

Full ranking

All 77 counties that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCountyScoreSample
1Wake County NC87 / 1001,908
2Madison County AL87 / 1001,230
3Miami-Dade County FL82 / 1003,265
4New Hanover County NC80 / 100195
5Anderson County TN78 / 100212
6Loudoun County VA77 / 100638
7Mecklenburg County NC77 / 1003,231
8Durham County NC76 / 100759
9Arlington County VA75 / 1001,989
10Knox County TN75 / 100443
11Hall County GA73 / 100110
12Davidson County TN72 / 1001,636
13Richmond city VA72 / 1001,147
14Charleston County SC71 / 100327
15Cabarrus County NC70 / 100103
16Greenville County SC69 / 100371
17Williamson County TN69 / 100335
18Iredell County NC69 / 100259
19Hamilton County TN66 / 100204
20Rutherford County TN65 / 100105
21Franklin County KY64 / 100170
22Chatham County GA61 / 100217
23Hillsborough County FL60 / 1001,856
24DeSoto County MS60 / 100113
25Brevard County FL58 / 100779
26Guilford County NC58 / 100560
27Orange County FL57 / 1001,413
28Houston County GA57 / 100100
29Fairfax County VA56 / 1004,186
30Fulton County GA55 / 1006,189
31Gwinnett County GA55 / 100601
32Leon County FL54 / 100763
33Catawba County NC53 / 100108
34Spartanburg County SC53 / 100121
35Alexandria city VA53 / 100583
36Pitt County NC53 / 100129
37Sullivan County TN51 / 100100
38Roanoke city VA50 / 100181
39York County SC49 / 100175
40Collier County FL49 / 100213
41Prince William County VA48 / 100152
42Richland County SC48 / 100374
43Lee County FL46 / 100223
44Cobb County GA45 / 100620
45Buncombe County NC45 / 100136
46Sarasota County FL45 / 100202
47Duval County FL45 / 1001,069
48Norfolk city VA43 / 100327
49Fayette County KY43 / 100213
50Chesapeake city VA42 / 100132
51Palm Beach County FL41 / 100821
52Jefferson County AL40 / 100641
53Jefferson County KY39 / 1002,081
54Montgomery County VA39 / 100113
55Montgomery County AL37 / 100187
56Virginia Beach city VA37 / 100259
57Polk County FL36 / 100185
58Broward County FL35 / 1001,142
59Okaloosa County FL35 / 100145
60Forsyth County NC34 / 100101
61Seminole County FL33 / 100210
62Volusia County FL33 / 100161
63Lynchburg city VA32 / 100113
64Hampton city VA29 / 100111
65Henrico County VA29 / 100100
66Alachua County FL28 / 100151
67Richmond County GA28 / 100199
68Hinds County MS28 / 100119
69DeKalb County GA27 / 100226
70Escambia County FL26 / 100177
71Cumberland County NC26 / 100116
72Newport News city VA25 / 100123
73Bibb County GA21 / 100100
74Shelby County TN20 / 100752
75Pinellas County FL18 / 100550
76Mobile County AL15 / 100145
77Muscogee County GA15 / 100106

How this ranking works

A county's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked counties (100 is first, 0 is last): openings per 100 unemployed 30%, unemployment rate 25%, private-sector job growth since 2022 25%, population growth since 2020 20%.

Openings are our professional roles placed in the county of the city their posting names; unemployment is BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted; jobs and sectors are BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; population is Census; American Job Centers are from CareerOneStop. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here.

Only counties with at least 20,000 people in the labor force, 100 openings, 500 unemployed people and 50,000 residents are ranked.

Sample bar: counties with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles by county; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Census Bureau population estimates. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which county ranks first: best county job markets for job seekers in the southeast?
Wake County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the Southeast, with a score of 87 / 100.
How many counties are ranked?
77 counties have at least 100 openings, so the list has 77 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A county's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked counties (100 is first, 0 is last): openings per 100 unemployed 30%, unemployment rate 25%, private-sector job growth since 2022 25%, population growth since 2020 20%. Openings are our professional roles placed in the county of the city their posting names; unemployment is BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted; jobs and sectors are BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; population is Census; American Job Centers are from CareerOneStop. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here. Only counties with at least 20,000 people in the labor force, 100 openings, 500 unemployed people and 50,000 residents are ranked.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best county job markets for job seekers in the Southeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-county-job-markets-in-the-southeast

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-county-job-markets-in-the-southeast">Best county job markets for job seekers in the Southeast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

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