Anaheim ranked almost last in Orange County in new jobs study

Six years ago California’s unemployment rate peaked at 12.2 percent.  It is now done to a more reasonable 6.1%. California has created more than 1.5 million non-farm jobs since our last financial crisis, a growth driven primarily by the technology sector and other high-wage industries.  But how is Anaheim doing?

To help California residents and inbound migrants find the best cities for employment, WalletHub analysts compared 250 cities in the state across 16 key metrics to determine the best and worst California cities in which to find a new job.

Here are some of the key findings of the new WalletHub jobs study with regards to cities in Orange County (note that you will have to scroll down quite a bit to find how Anaheim ranked):

• The City of Lake Forest earned the highest jobs ranking in Orange County.  Their job market was ranked #12 and their “Socioeconomic Environment” rank was #28.  Their overall rank was #9.
• The City of Aliso Viejo was ranked #15 overall with a #10 rating in “Socioeconomic Environment” rank.
• The City of San Clemente was ranked #28 overall.
• The City of Irvine was ranked #44 overall. They’re job ranking was #55 while their “Socioeconomic Environment” rank was #20.
• The City of Brea was ranked #45 overall.
• The City of Mission Viejo was ranked #46 overall.
• The City of Tustin was ranked #47.
• The City of Newport Beach was ranked #51 overall.
• The City of Costa Mesa was ranked #56 overall.
• The City of Orange was ranked #58 overall.
• The City of Buena Park was ranked #59 overall.
• The City of Huntington Beach was ranked #64 overall.
• The City of Laguna Niguel was ranked #67 overall.
• The City of Yorba Linda was ranked #70 overall.
• The City of Fountain Valley was ranked #80 overall.
• The City of Fullerton was ranked #93 overall.
• The City of Santa Ana was ranked #109 overall.
• The City of Anaheim was ranked #115 overall.
• The City of Stanton was ranked #126 overall.

So there you have it.  Anaheim was ranked last among Orange County cities by WalletHub in their Best and Worst Cities in California for Finding a Job study.

Anaheim’s politicians have contributed to our low job ranking, in our opinion.  The Anaheim City Council has forked over millions of taxpayer dollars to wealthy hotel developers who ought to be using their own funds to build new developments.  And they gave Disneyland a free pass when they could have charged a gate fee.  Disneyland claims they needed the break in order to expand their park to include a new Star Wars land but the Disney/ABC/ESPN company is one of the wealthiest corporations in America!

The Anaheim City Council also approved spending a small fortune on the unnecessary ARTIC train station that is now projecting to lose money for years.

So how did WalletHub come to these findings?  Here is their methodology:

Job Market – Total Points 67

• Job Opportunities (number of job openings minus number of unemployed persons): Double Weight (~14.9 Points)
• Employment Growth (rate of annual job growth, adjusted for working-age population growth): Full Weight (~7.4 Points)
• Monthly Median Starting Salary: Full Weight (~7.4 Points)
• Unemployment Rate for High School Graduates: Full Weight (~7.4 Points)
• Unemployment Rate for People with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: Full Weight (~7.4 Points)
• Industry Variety: Full Weight (~7.4 Points)
• Full-Time Employment (number of part-time employees for every 100 full-time Employees): Half Weight (~3.7 Points)
• Percentage of Persons Employed but Living Under Poverty Line: Full Weight (~7.4 Points)
• Percentage of Persons in the Workforce with Disabilities: Half Weight (~3.7 Points)

Socioeconomic Environment – Total Points: 33

• Median Annual Income (adjusted for cost of living index): Full Weight (~5.5 Points)
• Time Spent Working & Commuting (average commute time plus length of average workday): Half Weight (~2.75 Points)
• Benefits (percentage of employees with private health insurance): Half Weight (~2.75 Points)
• Housing Costs ((median annual household income divided by median house price) plus (median annual household income divided by price of rent for a 2-bedroom apartment)): Full Weight (~5.5 Points)
• Annual Transportation Costs: Full Weight (~5.5 Points)
• Safety (Crime Rate): Full Weight (~5.5 Points)
• Social Life (number of cafés per capita plus number of nightlife options per capita): Full Weight (~5.5 Points)