Best cities to move to for work

Whether you’ve been offered an opportunity in a new city, or simply want a change of scenery, there are lots of reasons you might choose to relocate for work. But which major cities offer the greatest job opportunities and salary potential?

Share this guide
moving for work - Image Module

With remote working now commonplace across a swathe of industries, from teaching to tech, it’s easier than ever to move to a new city to take up a new job - or simply relocate your old one.

If you're thinking of relocating, make sure to compare mortgages before buying a new home to ensure you get the best deal.

However, your career prospects aren’t entirely divorced from where you live and not everyone can work remotely all the time.

So, when taking into account the number of jobs available and average earnings, which are the best major cities to consider relocating to?

The UK towns and cities with the most job opportunities

moving for work - Image Module

1. Reading, Berkshire

Job listings on Indeed: 3,945
Listings per 100,000 people: 2,460

The place with the most job opportunities per person is Reading, where there are currently just under 2,500 job listings per 100,000 people.

Reading is one of the largest towns in the UK yet to be granted city status, and its proximity to London makes it a popular place for commuters to live.

2. Manchester, Greater Manchester

Job listings on Indeed: 13,299
Listings per 100,000 people: 2,393

Arguably the second biggest city in England, Manchester, takes second place overall for job listings. While Manchester is much bigger than Reading, the number of jobs on offer is higher still, with just under 2,400 per 100,000 people.

Manchester is a major Northern city and has seen large amounts of investment since the turn of the millennium. 

This has brought with it a large growth in the number of job opportunities as firms relocate or choose it to start up in, and attracted lots of people to the city in recent years.

3. Bristol, City of Bristol

Job listings on Indeed: 11,041
Listings per 100,000 people: 2,370

Another of the country’s major cities comes in third place, with Bristol having 2,370 job openings per 100,000 people.

Bristol’s economy is built on the creative media, electronics and aerospace industries, with its city-centre docklands area being regenerated and becoming a hub for businesses.

RankCityCountyPopulationJob listings on IndeedListings per 100,000 people
1ReadingBerkshire160,3373,9452,460
2ManchesterGreater Manchester555,74113,2992,393
3BristolCity of Bristol465,86611,0412,370
4NorwichNorfolk142,1773,0242,127
5NottinghamNottinghamshire337,0986,1741,832
6SouthamptonHampshire252,8723,9941,579
7Newcastle upon TyneTyne and Wear306,8244,1801,362
8NorthamptonNorthamptonshire230,0702,8751,250
9EdinburghCity of Edinburgh527,6206,4721,227
10DerbyDerbyshire256,8143,1291,218
11GlasgowGlasgow City635,6407,0161,104
12LeicesterLeicestershire354,0363,9041,103
13CardiffCardiff369,2023,9181,061
14BelfastCounty Antrim342,5603,5971,050
15LeedsWest Yorkshire798,7868,3751,048

The US cities with the most job opportunities

moving for work - Image Module

1. Boston, Massachusetts

Job listings on Indeed: 45,150
Listings per 100,000 people: 6,682

In the US, the city that has the most current job openings per person is Boston, with 6,682 per 100,000 people.

Boston has a rich history, but it remains a very important city today. Many people move here to work in the realm of scientific research, with lots of leading colleges and universities in the wider Boston area.

The city is also considered to be a global pioneer for innovation and entrepreneurship, with a large number of startups.

2. Washington, District of Columbia

Job listings on Indeed: 42,973
Listings per 100,000 people: 6,232

In second place is the nation’s capital, Washington, DC, with over 6,200 job listings per 100,000 people.

As the home of the US government, many people move to DC to work in the public sector. It’s estimated that roughly a quarter of employees in the city work for a federal government agency.

3. Seattle, Washington

Job listings on Indeed: 42,678
Listings per 100,000 people: 5,791

The city with the third-highest proportion of job openings is Seattle, Washington, with 5,791 per 100,000 people.

Since the 1980s, Seattle has become a major technology centre, with Microsoft and Amazon both being founded here.

This boom had led to thousands moving here for work, with the population increasing by almost 50,000 during the 1990s.

RankCityStatePopulationJob listings on IndeedListings per 100,000 people
1BostonMassachusetts675,64745,1506,682
2Washington, DCDistrict of Columbia689,54542,9736,232
3SeattleWashington737,01542,6785,791
4AustinTexas1,028,22558,7625,715
5Las VegasNevada641,90335,2685,494
6DenverColorado715,52235,5314,966
7NashvilleTennessee689,44733,7724,898
8CharlotteNorth Carolina874,57942,5624,867
9San FranciscoCalifornia873,96539,9754,574
10DallasTexas1,348,88661,6904,573
11BaltimoreMaryland585,70826,6124,544
12PortlandOregon652,50328,8144,416
13IndianapolisIndiana887,64238,1354,296
14LouisvilleKentucky633,04526,2534,147
15ColumbusOhio905,74834,7943,841

The best UK towns and cities to move to by industry

Best cities for job opportunities
moving for work - Image Module

When we look at the opportunities across ten different industries, we once again see that Reading has the most openings in six of these industries.

Manchester was the top city for two industries, marketing and HR, having seen a big increase in people moving for work in these industries recently.

Norwich was another city that was a large concentration of jobs in a couple of industries, healthcare and nursing.

IndustryTown/cityJob listings on IndeedListings per 100,000 people
AccountancyReading276172
ConstructionReading444277
Customer serviceReading2,318417
EngineeringReading632394
HealthcareNorwich880619
HRManchester36566
ITReading15697
MarketingManchester667120
NursingNorwich312219
TeachingReading11471

Best cities for salaries

moving for work - Image Module

When it comes to average salaries, it’s probably not surprising to see that London is the highest-earning city for four out of ten industries.

However, there were a number of industries where the highest-earning city was outside the capital.

Three of these were in Aberdeen, which is the highest-earning city for marketing, teaching and engineering, and well known for its seaport and oil industry.

IndustryTown/cityAverage salary
AccountancyLondon£37,579
ConstructionLondon£44,652
Customer serviceLondon£23,158
EngineeringAberdeen£44,552
HealthcareEdinburgh£39,901
HRLondon£39,373
ITBournemouth£49,650
MarketingAberdeen£67,449
NursingPlymouth£38,574
TeachingAberdeen£36,086

The best US cities to move to by industry

Best cities for job opportunities
moving for work - Image Module

In the USA, Boston is the city with the most job listings for a number of industries, including accountancy, HR, marketing and nursing.

While Boston is a notable city historically, it remains an important one to this day, considered to be a global pioneer for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Other cities that had the most openings include Las Vegas for customer service, with many being employed by the city’s casinos and hotels.

Austin was the city with the highest number of engineering vacancies. A steady stream of graduates from the engineering programs at the University of Texas at Austin helps to fuel the local engineering sector here.

IndustryCityJob listings on IndeedListings per 100,000 people
AccountancyBoston1,577584
ConstructionDenver2,791390
Customer serviceLas Vegas1,755273
EngineeringAustin4,086397
HealthcareBaltimore10,0961,724
HRBoston1,598584
ITSeattle8,1591,107
MarketingBoston3,943584
NursingBoston3,770584
TeachingLas Vegas1,312204

Best cities for salaries

moving for work - Image Module

When it comes to earnings in different sectors across the USA, there’s a clear geographic trend, with all of the top-earning cities being found in California.

San Jose was the top-earning city for six of these industries, with the city known for being one of the country’s most affluent.

It’s also the home of Silicon Valley, with thousands moving there to work for high tech companies such as eBay, Cisco Systems, PayPal and more.

San Francisco and Los Angeles are the other two cities that offered the best wages in certain industries. 

San Francisco is the best city for construction, engineering and healthcare, while LA came out best for marketing salaries.

IndustryCityAverage salary
AccountancySan Jose98,858
ConstructionSan Francisco86,311
Customer serviceSan Jose48,731
EngineeringSan Francisco135,374
HealthcareSan Francisco99,459
HRSan Jose84,973
ITSan Jose89,655
MarketingLos Angeles118,189
NursingSan Jose112,930
TeacherSan Jose66,332

FAQ's

What to do when moving house

There’s a lot to remember when moving house and it can be easy to forget things amongst the excitement and stress.

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are some things that you might need to do when moving:

  • Confirm the moving date in writing

  • Contact your utility providers

  • Arrange for a removal service (if required)

  • Give your landlord notice if you’re renting

  • Update your address details with places such as your doctor, dentist, bank etc.

  • Take meter readings

What to do about Council Tax when moving house?

When you move, you’ll need to inform your local council, who will send a final bill for your old address. They will also send a new annual bill for your new address.

If you’re staying within the same local authority area, then you should be able to update your direct debit details and let the council know your new address. If you are moving to a new local authority, make sure to cancel your Council Tax when moving house so you don't end up paying unnecessarily. You can use GOV.UK to find your new council and set up a new Council Tax account.

Let the council know that you’re moving a month before your moving date to ensure you don’t pay tax while not living at the property.

How long does it take to move house once an offer is accepted in the UK?

There’s no set timescale for moving house once you’ve had an offer accepted. Each move has its own unique circumstances and challenges, with some going much smoother than others.

As a rough idea, once your offer has been accepted, it usually takes around six weeks before the deal is completed and you’re moved in. However, if you need to find a buyer for your own property then this can obviously take longer.

How to pack for moving house

Packing up all of your possessions is no easy feat, so how can you make it all run a little bit smoother?

Firstly, make sure to start early with the rooms and things that you use the least often, to minimise disruption to your daily life.

It’s also a prime opportunity to declutter and get rid of some of the things that you don’t need or donate them to charity.

Another invaluable tip is to roll your clothes rather than folding them, which helps to save space and is much easier to do.

Who to inform when moving house

When moving house, there are a lot of people that you need to inform. As well as your friends and family, here are a few people and organisations that you should inform about the move (again, this list isn’t exhaustive!):

  • Your employer

  • Inland Revenue

  • National Insurance

  • Your council’s tax office

  • Internet provider

  • Landline phone provider

  • TV licensing

  • DVLA

  • Insurance providers

  • Schools

  • Dentist

  • Doctor

  • Bank

  • Utilities providers

  • Royal Mail

Methodology and sources

Looking at the top 30 most populated towns and cities in both the UK and US, the number of job listings and average salaries were sourced, both overall and for ten common industries.

Job listings

The number of listings currently on Indeed (using just the exact location of each city). The UK version of Indeed was used for UK cities and the US version of the site for the US data, with data correct as of March 29th, 2022.

These were then calculated per 100,000 people, using population data from the Office for National Statistics in the UK and the United States Census Bureau in the US.

Average salary

Sourced from Glassdoor, with data correct as of March 29th, 2022.

About James Andrews 

James is our senior personal finance editor and has spent the past 15 years writing and editing personal finance news. He has previously written for ReachPLC, was money editor of Mirror Online and Yahoo Finance UK, and has recently been quoted in City AM, Liverpool Echo and Daily Record as well as featured on national radio shows TalkRadio and the BBC

View James Andrews’ full biography here or visit the money.co.uk press centre for our latest news.

Graphic of the creative commons logo

About James Andrews

James has spent the past 15 years writing and editing personal finance news, specialising in consumer rights, pensions, insurance, property and investments - picking up a series of awards for his journalism along the way.

View James Andrews's full biography here or visit the money.co.uk press centre for our latest news.