As we approach the end of 2014, I wanted to share with you an interesting trend in hiring demand this year. While many times we think that the competition for talent is in populous areas - like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and the Silicon Valley - we found that hiring grew significantly more in smaller, less populated areas.

Some of the top metropolitan areas for job growth this year were Charlotte (NC), Cincinnati (OH), Cleveland (OH), Detroit (MI), and Pittsburgh (PA). According to data from WANTED Analytics, hiring across the US grew by 26% on average. However, these 5 cities saw significantly higher than average growth.

The number of jobs advertised in Charlotte, NC from January to November 2014 was 51% higher than in 2013. In this area, there were more than 51,000 jobs added to the local economy over the year.

Some of the industrial sectors with the greatest demand for talent in this city were agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting; mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; utilities; construction; and manufacturing. Of these top 5 cities, Detroit added the most jobs with 75,000 more in 2014 than in 2013.

Metro Areas with Most Growth in Hiring Demand

Source: WANTED Analytics

You can compare this to the job growth in some of the largest metro areas in the US. New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are the most populated metro areas. There are currently 19.8 million people in the New York metro, which includes New York City, Northern New Jersey, and Long Island. In this area, jobs only grew 24% this year, which is 2% below the national US average growth. Chicago was 3% behind, and Los Angeles was 9% lower than the average. While these areas still experienced year-over-year job growth, you can see it is significantly lower than the leading locations.

Growth in Hiring for Most Populated Metro Areas

Source: WANTED Analytics

What does this mean for recruiting? Employers in big cities are likely to see more and more competition for talent in these smaller cities. For example, employers in Chicago may see employees and potential candidates moving to other cities around the Great Lakes for job opportunities, such as Detroit and Cleveland. With jobs growing in less densely populated areas, you may begin to see a shift in where talent is located. If this trend continues over time, you may need to consider relocating potential candidates. Employers in larger metro areas should also keep an eye out for how smaller cities are attracting talent. Is the salary higher? Are there better or different benefits being offered to attract those candidates? These are all aspects that can be involved in your talent acquisition strategy.

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Abby Lombardi writes for the WANTED Analytics blog, Analysis. Abby’s articles and insight have been featured on HR.com, ERE, American Staffing Association, Forbes, CNN, and Fortune. She is also the Global Marketing Director at WANTED Analytics, focusing on engagement with HR professionals through social media and research. When Abby isn’t researching hiring trends, she’s likely training for long-distance endurance events, including marathons and triathlons.