10 Most Affordable Cities for Fastest Growing Careers

By Paul Ausick Updated Jan 12, 12:41AM EST · Published Apr 21, 8:55AM EDT

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10 Most Affordable Cities for Fastest Growing Careers — © Thinkstock

The U.S. economy is rocking along right now, growing at a rate of around 3% a year. An unemployment rate of around 4% means that most Americans who want jobs can find one.

But what if you are looking to change careers and are investing time and money in retraining in order to find the job of your dreams? Wouldn’t it be a good idea also to consider where that career is most in demand?

Changing careers and moving to a new city can double the stress of making just one of those changes — doing both at once takes nerves of steel. If you’re thinking about doing that, you probably want to consider which U.S. cities offer the most opportunities for someone with your chosen field.

Researchers at Realtor.com have done some of the work for you. They have matched the 10 fastest-growing careers with the city where each of those careers is most in demand.

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Here’s the list of cities, along with median home prices in the metro area, the median salaries and the career’s projected growth rate.

1. Solar Panel Installer
> City: Wilmington, Delaware
> Median home list price: $244,500
> Median salary: $39,500
> Projected career growth rate: 105%

2. Wind Turbine Technician
> City: Duluth, Minnesota
> Median home list price: $217,500
> Median salary: $52,300
> Projected career growth rate: 96%

3. Physician Assistant
> City: Asheville, North Carolina
> Median home list price: $353,100
> Median salary: $101,500
> Projected career growth rate: 37%

4. Statistician
> City: Durham, North Carolina
> Median home list price: $370,500
> Median salary: $80,500
> Projected career growth rate: 34%

5. Physical Therapist Assistant
> City: Springfield, Missouri
> Median home list price: $187,500
> Median salary: $56,600
> Projected career growth rate: 31%

6. Software Developer
> City: Austin, Texas
> Median home list price: $368,800
> Median salary: $100,100
> Projected career growth rate: 31%

7. Genetic Counselor
> City: Salt Lake City, Utah
> Median home list price: $394,000
> Median salary: $74,100
> Projected career growth rate: 29%

8. Information Security Analyst
> City: Washington, D.C.
> Median home list price: $440,500
> Median salary: $92,600
> Projected career growth rate: 28%

9. Forest Fire Inspector
> City: Atlanta, Georgia
> Median home list price: $317,623
> Median salary: $36,230
> Projected career growth rate: 27%

10. Massage Therapist
> City: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
> Median home list price: $210,000
> Median salary: $39,860
> Projected career growth rate: 26%

For more details and information visit the Realtor.com website.

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About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.