Summer is approaching and while for some this means vacations, the sun, the beach and margaritas; for others, it is a chance to find a side-job and pad the wallet a bit. It goes without saying that some cities have more to offer to people looking for summer jobs and today, we’ll be looking at just the type.
The hardworking people from WalletHub have once again outdone themselves, comparing 150 U.S. cities across 18 metrics to find those cities where summer jobs are a dime a dozen, pay well and allow part-time workers to save most of the money they make.
The aforementioned 18 metrics were divided into two main categories – the Youth Job-Market Outlook (maximum amount of point possible: 75) and the Social Environment & Affordability (maximum amount of points possible: 25).
In the Youth Job-Market Outlook category, they looked at things such as the ratio of part-time to full-time workers, the change in the summer employment rate, the median income of part-time workers, internship listings, the availability of summer jobs and so on.
In the Social Environment & Affordability category, they looked at the percentage of the population aged 16 to 24, minimum wage, the median rent price for a one-bedroom property, as well as some of WalletHub’s standard rankings such as recreation, active lifestyle and single people numbers.
They collected the data, worked out the bugs and they came up with the list of the Best 150 American Cities for Summer Jobs.
According to them, the best place to look for a summer job this year is Washington, DC. The country’s capital did particularly well in the Youth Job-Market Outlook category where it ranked first. Washington was tied for first place in the number of internship listings per capita, probably because of the numerous internship positions in politics and government. The total score of 67.07 was enough to put the Capital City in the very top spot.
Scottsdale, Arizona is in the second spot, barely trailing Washington, DC with a total score of 66.97. Scottsdale did equally well in both major categories, finishing second in the Youth Job-Market Rankings and second in the Social Environment & Affordability rankings. The city boasts the fourth lowest unemployment rate for people between 16 and 24 years of age and the highest median income of part-time workers in the country.
The third best city for finding a summer job this year is San Francisco and it is mostly due to the fact that city has a budding youth job market, enough to rank it second in the Youth Job-Market Outlook category. With the total score of 64.61, it does not trail too far behind the two best cities on the list. San Francisco would probably rank even higher, but the fact its rent prices are the highest in the country harmed the city packed full of tech internships and other kinds of summer jobs.
Orlando came in as the fourth best city for finding a summer job, ranking 8th in the Youth job-Market Outlook category and 1st in the Social Environment & Affordability category. Orlando is the city with the third highest availability of summer jobs per capita, right behind two other Florida cities, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. There is plenty of work to be had in Florida during the summers, it seems. Orlando is also a relatively affordable city when you consider what you get for your money. Orlando’s total score is 63.94.
Reno, Nevada was named the fifth best American city for finding a summer job, ranked five in the Youth Job-Market Outlook category and 15th in the Social Environment & Affordability one. Reno earned the total score of 62.59. Reno did not top any of the individual categories, but it did well overall, enough to get it a more than respectable fifth place overall.
In the Top 10, you will also find Cincinnati, OH (which ranked 6th in both major categories), Fort Lauderdale, FL (boasting highest availability of summer jobs per capita together with Miami), St. Louis, MO, Boise, ID and Pittsburgh, PA.
You can find the entire list here.
