by Janice Francis-Smith The Journal Record 8/22/2006 OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City ranked ninth in Forbes magazine’s list of the top 10 best U.S. cities to find a job. Using U.S. government data supplied by Moody’s Economy.com, Forbes ranked the 100 largest metropolitan areas according to unemployment rates, cost of living, median household income, job growth and income growth. The magazine praised Oklahoma City, “a former oil town,” for diversifying its economic base, and it noted that the state has attracted call centers for technology companies like Dell as well as new manufacturing businesses. Oklahoma City performed best in the cost-of-living arena, coming in at 11th nationwide. The city also ranked 12th in income growth, 44th in job growth, 21st in unemployment, and 61st in median household income. Many large cities suffered in the ranking not only in the cost of living, but in job growth. The study used a five-year average for job and income growth, and cities that were home to a lot of dot-com companies in 2001 lost a lot of jobs when many of those businesses went under. The magazine noted a trend of more businesses and workers leaving Northern cities for the South, attracted by warmer climates and a lower cost of living. The magazine’s top 10 best cities for finding a job were, in order, Washington, D.C.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Orlando, Fla.; Bethesda, Md.; Richmond, Va.; Raleigh, N.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Oklahoma City and Virginia Beach, Va Posted at 8/22/2006 01:13:00 PM