Best Cities to Land a Job in Financial Services

Cities like New York, Chicago and Boston most often come to mind when one considers a job in financial services. And recently we pointed out how different areas of the country such as Salt Lake City, Seattle and the Raleigh-Cary region of North Carolina were also becoming financial centers. But would you believe a new survey shows the top city to find a finance job today is actually, San Francisco.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has revealed signs of a potential turnaround in the financial services sector and the number of finance-related positions in the U.S. started to gain momentum in March and April. In line with this trend, a national accounting and finance staffing provider, Accounting Principals, has identified the top seven cities to find a job in financial services today.

San Francisco came in on top due to a variety of factors including the city's proximity to Silicon Valley, its large venture capitalist community and the fact that it has one of the highest concentrations of Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. The growth of the technology sector in Northern California has caused a hiring ripple effect in the region, allowing other sectors - such as financial services - to benefit from the growth.

According to the San Francisco-based staffing firm, the jobs most in-demand for full-time employment are finance managers, assistant controllers, controllers, and accounting managers.

Coming in second place was Denver, a city that's seen job growth in the financial sector due to the region's booming oil and gas companies and improving manufacturing sector. While a variety of financial services positions are available in the region, there's a strong need for certified talent in the area, including professionals with CPAs, CTPs and MBAs. The war for talent for these professionals is heating up and the most in-demand candidates will be those with experience and skill sets in the areas of tax, cost accounting, treasury, and renewable energy finance.

The full list of the Top Cities to Find a Finance Job are:

San Francisco

Denver

Paramus, N.J.

Chicago

Portland, Ore.

Nashville, Tenn.

Miami