Fort Lauderdale isn’t just a Mecca for spring breakers and world travelers. It’s also a great place to live if you’re a veteran looking for work.
Fort Lauderdale is ranked No. 10 on the “2013 Best Places for Veterans: Jobs” report.
It’s the first time the city has made the list. It was lauded for its low unemployment rate and cost of living compared to the national average.
The city’s top-three industries are listed as:
1. Retail trade, transportation and utilities
2. Professional and business services
3. Federal, state and local government
Sperling’s BestPlaces came up with the "best places" list by analyzing 379 metropolitan areas of the United States. Researchers used these criteria:
- Military skill-related jobs
- Unemployment rate
- Number of government jobs
- Volume of Department of Defense contracts
- Recent job growth
- Health resources
- Presence of colleges/universities
- VA hospitals (run by the U.S. Veterans Health Administration)
Two other Florida cities also made the top 10: Tampa (seventh) and Orlando (ninth).
The list was commissioned by USAA, an insurance and financial services association for military families, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program.