Here are the best cities to find a job in 2015

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 many 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, Coins2Day 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.

[Googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=z5rbK6Zjsvis.kIbmyl4ID9UQ&w=640&h=480]

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.

Lincoln, Nebraska

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)

Omaha, Nebraska

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), First National Bank of Omaha, ConAgra Foods (CAG)

Austin, Texas

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), University of Texas at Austin, Seton Healthcare Network, Whole Foods Market (WFM)

Lubbock, Texas

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)

Madison, Wisconsin

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), Covance Laboratories (CVD), CUNA Mutual, Sub-Zero and University of Wisconsin-Madison

Irvine, California

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

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

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

San Antonio, Texas

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 (TM)

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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)

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

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), US Bancorp (USB), 3M (MMM), Target (TGT), Medtronic (MDT), Ameriprise Financial (AMP), General Mills (GIS), Ecolab (ECL), Xcel Energy (XEL), Best Buy (BBY)

Honolulu, Hawaii

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

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

Largest employers: Hawaii Electric Industries (HE), Hawaii Medical Service Association, Matson (MATX), Aloha Petroleum, Alexander & Baldwin (ALEX)