Charlotte led the nation for job gains in 2025, but all metros saw a significant pullback in employment expansion in the past year.
Among the large markets, the biggest job growth next year is expected in the Sun Belt.
Southern markets dominated the list of the best job gain markets in the year-ending October.
Two-thirds of RealPage’s top 150 markets had fewer jobs gained in the past 12 months than they did for the previous 12-month period.
Metro-level employment gains are leveling out based on December data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Inflation increased to 2.9% in August, as President Trump's tariffs intensified.
The U.S. economy added more jobs than expected in December, marketing a recent record of 48 consecutive months of employment growth.
Job growth remained steady in May, but revisions from March and April pulled total job growth down notably in 2025.
The U.S. employment base added more jobs than expected in April, though February and March gains were revised downward.
The U.S. added just 50,000 jobs in December, which was the slowest pace the market has seen since 2000.