Memphis ranked worst city to find a job in recent study

by: Megan Fayard

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A recent study conducted by WalletHub says that Memphis ranked last in a list of the best cities to find a job in 2025.

Wallet Hub compared 182 U.S. cities across 31 key indicators of job-market strength. These indicators include job opportunities per job seeker, employment growth, and the monthly average starting salary, according to the study.

Scottsdale, Arizona took the No. 1 spot, while Memphis capped off the list in 182nd place. Nashville was No. 102. New Orleans was No. 136.

Below is a list of Memphis’s overall rankings separated by category. The city scored low for job opportunities, employment growth and median income, but high for industry variety.

Overall rank for Memphis: 182

• 157^th – Job Opportunities
• 165^th – Employment Growth
• 154^th – Unemployment Rate
• 19^th – Industry Variety
• 96^th – Monthly Average Starting Salary
• 142^nd – % of Workforce Living in Poverty
• 156^th – Median Annual Income
• 66^th – Housing Affordability
• 84^th – Avg. Work & Commute Time

Memphis received a total score of 40.77. See the full list here.

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