Best Cities for African Americans to Find Jobs and Business Opportunities

Finding the perfect city in which to live generally includes comparing factors such as housing costs, availability of good jobs, cost of living, and good schools. Many minorities such as African Americans also look for areas that provide all these benefits in addition to equal opportunities. Studies have shown that African Americans look at other factors, too, in order to determine where they will find the best opportunities and overall standard of living.

According to Black Enterprise (BE) magazine, who publishes an annual list of  Top 10 Cities for African Americans, lists other statistics that are important to African Americans:

• Median household income for African Americans compared with that of the overall median household income
• Percent of African American households earning over $100,000 per year
• Black unemployment
• Number of black-owned businesses per 1,000 black residents
• Percentage of African Americans graduating from college
• Homeownership rate by African Americans

Some statistics rate cities according to their tolerance, and cities that are integrated. While these factors are important, it doesn't necessarily mean that these cities are going to provide the best overall opportunities for African Americans. BE's research appears to be a more meaningful approach to identifying what is most important to African Americans and that is finding the best business, professional and personal opportunities.

Based on research using these key living standards, the top ten cities are:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Atlanta, GA
3. Raleigh-Durham, NC
4. Houston, TX
5. Nashville, TN
6. Dallas, TX
7. Charlotte, NC
8. Indianapolis, IN
9. Columbus, OH
10. Jacksonville, FL