With unemployment at just 4 percent, 2019 is shaping up to be a good year for workers. Since wages are just beginning to budge, one of the only ways for many workers to earn a raise is to get a new job — and experts say the first quarter of the year is the best time to do it.
Both Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.com and Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor tell CNBC Make It that the first quarter is the best time to look for a new job because hiring managers have new budgets to work with.
The other factor to consider is geography. Zippia surveyed thousands of workers and analyzed data from the BLS and the American Community Survey to determine which states had the optimal balance of low unemployment, low cost of living and steady wage increases.
What they found is that many states not typically known for hot labor markets can provide good opportunities for workers willing to move and grow.
Here are the 10 best states to find a job in 2019, according to Zippia:
Population: ~10,201,635
Median Income: ~$52,977
Unemployment Rate: ~3 percent
Population: ~10,052,564
Median Income: ~$50,320
Unemployment Rate: ~3 percent
Population: ~1,331,848
Median Income: ~$71,305
Unemployment Rate: ~2 percent
Population: ~6,075,300
Median Income: ~$51,542
Unemployment Rate: ~3 percent
Population: ~855,444
Median Income: ~$54,126
Unemployment Rate: ~3 percent
Population: ~3,896,251
Median Income: ~$49,767
Unemployment Rate: ~3 percent
Population: ~1,893,921
Median Income: ~$56,675
Unemployment Rate: ~2 percent
Population: ~8,365,952
Median Income: ~$68,766
Unemployment Rate: ~2 percent
Population: ~5,490,726
Median Income: ~$65,699
Unemployment Rate: ~2 percent
Population: ~3,118,102
Median Income: ~$56,570
Unemployment Rate: ~2 percent
New York and California are notably missing from the list. Instead, Zippia’s calculations found that states like Iowa and Minnesota provide the right combination of job opportunities and a low cost of living.
New Hampshire came in eighth on Zippia’s list. The Granite State reported the highest median income of any on the list, roughly $71,305 a year.
“Based on surveys of our 100,000+ users, the two most important factors in finding a job are salary and location. We tried to help them answer that question by providing research on the states in America that have improving labor markets and rising salaries,” Chris Kolmar, Co-Founder of Zippia, tells CNBC Make It. “The most recent data shows that states like Iowa and Minnesota have great opportunities for employment, especially relative to the lower costs of living in those areas.”
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