Detroit had the highest unemployment rate among the 30 largest U.S. cities in May, while Nashville, Tenn., had the lowest, according to a July 29 LinkedIn post from WalletHub.
The ranking used May data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and included the 30 largest U.S. cities by population.
While Detroit’s overall unemployment rate of 10.7% stands well above the other 29 cities, healthcare has largely bucked the labor-market softness showing up across the country. Nationally, hospitals and health systems have kept adding jobs even as hiring in other sectors slows, though the pace has cooled: healthcare added 21,500 jobs in June, down from the average monthly gain of 38,000 over the past year. Hospitals added 9,200 jobs in June, up from 6,800 in May.
That resilience is also reshaping who is applying for healthcare jobs. As other industries face job cuts, health systems are seeing more applicants from non-clinical and non-traditional backgrounds, particularly recent graduates facing one of the toughest entry-level job markets in years. Economists have echoed that dynamic: several told The Wall Street Journal in survey results published June 9 that medicine is likely to be a net beneficiary of AI even as nonclinical hospital roles face more exposure.
Here are the 30 largest U.S. cities by population, ranked by lowest to highest unemployment rates, per WalletHub:
Note: This list includes ties.
1. Nashville, Tenn. — 2.7%
2. Columbus, Ohio — 2.8%
3. Indianapolis — 3.3%
4 (tie). Austin, Texas — 3.4%
4 (tie). San Francisco — 3.4%
6. San Jose, Calif. — 3.5%
7. Charlotte, N.C. — 3.6%
8 (tie). Denver — 3.8%
8 (tie). San Diego — 3.8%
10 (tie). Phoenix — 4%
10 (tie). San Antonio — 4%
12 (tie). Boston — 4.1%
12 (tie). Dallas — 4.1%
12 (tie). Fort Worth, Texas — 4.1%
15 (tie). El Paso, Texas — 4.2%
15 (tie). Oklahoma City — 4.2%
17 (tie). Houston — 4.5%
17 (tie). Seattle — 4.5%
19 (tie). Jacksonville, Fla. — 4.7%
19 (tie). Memphis, Tenn. — 4.7%
19 (tie). Portland, Ore. — 4.7%
22. New York City — 4.8%
23 (tie). Louisville, Ky. — 5%
23 (tie). Philadelphia — 5%
25 (tie). Las Vegas — 5.3%
25 (tie). Los Angeles — 5.3%
27 (tie). Baltimore — 5.4%
27 (tie). Chicago — 5.4%
29. Washington, D.C. — 6%
30. Detroit — 10.7%
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