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New Orleans, La.

Share of jobs in strong industries: 40%
Number of workers: 101,752
Metro area unemployment rate: 4.7%
Agriculture jobs: 1.21%
Professional, Scientific, and Technical jobs (legal, accounting etc.): 7.17%
Education jobs: 12.23%
Health-care jobs: 13.50%
Public Administration (Government) jobs: 5.85%

New Orleans has plenty of challenges as it recovers from 2005's Hurricane Katrina. The population has shrunk, putting pressure on university enrollments and hospitals. And tourism is way down. But the unemployment rate remains low. The city's banks, which did not make a large number of risky loans during the housing boom, are relatively healthy. And firms are investing heavily in construction projects in the city, rebuilding levees and building a new refinery.

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