It’s Veterans Day, which means that in addition to thanking those who’ve spent years of their lives serving our country, it’s a good idea to think about what happens to them after they’ve put in their time with the military. There’s a wide gap between what opportunities some of them are afforded as compared to others (almost 50,000 veterans will be sleeping on the street somewhere in America tonight).
Based on a new list released by USAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative, vets should consider Texas to settle into civilian life—three of the ten best U.S. cities for veteran employment are in the state. The methodology for the list involved—among other things—considering the number of jobs that utilize military skills, the number of government jobs available, the presence of defense contractors, and the number of veteran-owned businesses per capita.
Oklahoma City tops the list at a 4 percent unemployment rate for veterans, followed by Pittsburgh. Houston, at number three, boasts a low veteran unemployment rate of 4.1 percent and employers like BP America and Fluor, which have veteran hiring programs.
Further down the list, Dallas and San Antonio come in at nine and ten, respectively. In Dallas (which also has a 4.1 percent unemployment rate for veterans), American Airlines and Lockheed Martin each have veteran hiring programs, and in San Antonio, the unemployment rate is the same, and Valero and Toyota each look to recruit veterans.
The full list of the ten best cities for veterans seeking career opportunities is below:
1. Oklahoma City
2. Pittsburgh
3. Houston
4. Ft. Lauderdale
5. New Orleans
6. St. Louis
7. Norfolk
8. Cleveland
9. Dallas
10. San Antonio
