What slowdown?

Metro areas bucking the national trend of slowing job growth

According to BLS (CES) estimates, seasonally-adjusted, year-over-year job growth in the U.S. was 0.37% in December, the seventh consecutive month at less than 1%, and the weakest stretch since the Great Recession, not counting the pandemic losses. In December, 244 (58%) of U.S. metros were still adding jobs compared to a year earlier, but the pace was down in 144 of them; 160 (38%) were losing jobs, more than double the number from a year ago.

Here’s what the map looks like:

Yet, there are bright spots. Some places you likely know and could name off the top of your head if you work in economic development or track markets for a living. Others, perhaps flying below the radar, and worth checking out.

Columbus-Nashville-Charlotte

We hear a lot about the Texas Triangle (DFW-Houston-San Antonio/Austin), but it’s another triangle-shaped region of, remarkably, roughly the same size (60,000 sq. mi.) that earns the headline for large metros. Charlotte may have finished the year nearly doubling the number of net new jobs created there compared to a year ago, according to BLS’s preliminary estimates for December. Columbus was not far off that pace, and Nashville was a model of consistency, growing at about the same rate in 2025 as it did in 2024 — slightly more than 3x the U.S. growth rate.

Mid-Level Exceptionals

The usual suspects — Northwest Arkansas, Research Triangle, Silicon Slopes — are all here, but keep an eye on Jackson, MS. It’s been on a nice run since about 2024Q4, topping 2% YoY growth in several months of 2025.

The Beaches

Whether it’s a continuation of post-pandemic lifestyle moves for workers or service-industry growth fueled by an increase in retiree populations, 2025 was good to many smaller metros with beachfront property, including Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, SC, Wilmington, NC, and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.