10 Best Cities for Jobs in Financial Services: 2014

The economy might be on the upswing, but it’s still not easy to find a job. For the fourth year in a row, Accounting Principals released its list of the top cities to find financial services jobs.

Several factors made 2014 a better year than 2013 for job hunters in the sector (and overall, with the U.S. unemployment rate at 6.1%). Accounting Principals used employment data from its branch offices to compile its list.

“The growth of the technology industry has had a positive impact on the industry, with finance jobs becoming increasingly available in non-financial firms and attracting people with niche backgrounds,” said Jodi Chavez, senior vice president at Accounting Principals in a statement.

“We believe the accounting and finance industry is on a good trajectory and this trend will continue in the years ahead,” she added.

The variety of hot financial services jobs was reflected in a June list ThinkAdvisor compiled by mining data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The top spot was taken by personal financial advisors. Such positions are projected to grow 27% by 2022.

(Check out the 8 Fastest Growing Financial Services Jobs: 2014.)

The cities on this year’s list offer different strengths, the finance and accounting firm noted. For instance, in Chicago there’s a high demand for accountants with between two and five years’ experience and the city is home to mix of large banks and industries. On the other hand, San Mateo, California, made the list with a better balance of boutique and startup tech firms than in San Francisco.

To our list of the 10 Best Cities for Jobs in Financial Services: 2014 we’ve included the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ July unemployment rate for the metropolitan area that include each city. (Rates are for July, unless noted otherwise.)

10. Houston

Overall Unemployment rate: 5.5%

Last year, this Texas city was one spot from the top of the list. It slipped, but stayed in the Top 10.

9. Newport Beach, California

Unemployment rate: 8% (Los Angeles area)

Newport Beach, which also was not listed in 2013, joins its neighbor, which is next on the list.

8. Los Angeles

Unemployment rate: 8%

The City of Angels lagged last year, failing to make the Top 10. This year is a different story, despite the area’s relatively high jobless figure.

7.  Portland, Oregon

Unemployment rate: 6.3%

Last year, the only Northwest city to make the list was Seattle. This year, it’s Portland representing the region.