5 VA Cities, DC Named Best Places To Find A Job In 2025

VIRGINIA — Five Virginia cities, plus Washington, D.C., have named to a list of the best cities to find a job in 2025, according to the personal finance platform WalletHub.

Virginia Beach was ranked the highest-ranked job market in the Commonwealth at No. 21 in the nation. Its jobs market was the 20th strongest in the U.S.

Other Virginia cities that were ranked:

• No. 33 Norfolk, with the 8th-strongest job market
• No. 38 Chesapeake, with a job market ranked 30th
• No. 40 Richmond, with a job market ranked 35th
• No. 72 Newport News, with a job market ranked 45th

DC is ranked No. 8 in the nation for job opportunities, with a job market listed at No. 11 and a socioeconomic factor listed at No. 36 in the country.

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Scottsdale, Arizona, took the top spot nationally, while Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, came in second.

For the complete list of rankings, visit WalletHub.

WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities across 31 key indicators of job market strength such as job opportunities, employment growth and monthly average starting salary. Columbia ranked high in part due to having the highest median household income in the country at nearly $124,000, adjusted for the cost of living.

Rent prices are relatively affordable for the high quality of life and amenities, helping offset the costs of living with the median income. The average annual fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment is around 16% of the median household income in Columbia. That’s the sixth-lowest percentage in the country, according to WalletHub.

In terms of job security, the website found that jobs in Columbia have the ninth-lowest share of jobs that are likely to be automated in the near future.