California Cities Lead the Nation in Declining Job Postings, Axios Finds

An Axios analysis of job postings on Indeed reveals that California cities are among those seeing the steepest declines in job postings.

Axios analyzed job openings posted on the website between Feb. 1, 2020 and Oct. 31, 2025. Overall, it found that small metro areas are experiencing the most growth, while large metros are seeing significant drops in job openings.

The metros with the largest increases in job postings are:

1. St. Joseph, MO (+81%)

2. Beckley, WV (+63%)

3. Anchorage, AK (+62%)

4. Huntington, WV (+59%)

5. Decatur, AL (+57%)

6. Great Falls, MT (+56%)

7. St. George, UT (+55%)

8. Hinesville, GA (+53%)

9. Bismarck, ND (+53%)

10. Charleston, WV (+53%)

These 10 metros saw the sharpest declines in job postings on Indeed:

1. San Francisco, CA (-37%)

2. Seattle, WA (-35%)

3. Santa Rosa, CA (-32%)

4. Napa, CA (-28%)

5. San Jose, CA (-26%)

6. Corvallis, OR (-26%)

7. Washington, DC (-24%)

8. Lexington Park, MD (-23%)

9. Minneapolis, MN (-22%)

10.  Ann Arbor, MI (-21%)

As Axios notes, the current job market is least friendly to “white-collar professionals in tech-heavy cities.” Most job growth has been in the health care sector and in leisure and hospitality.

Read the analysis here.

Did you know? CaliforniaCityNews.org is home to the state's largest city and county jobs board. Search for jobs or list an opening here.