Durham, N.C.

Share of jobs in strong industries: 45.5%
Number of workers: 103,331
Metro area unemployment rate: 5.4%
Agriculture jobs: 0.23%
Professional, Scientific, and Technical jobs (legal, accounting etc.): 9.09%
Education jobs: 14.11%
Health-care jobs: 17.96%
Public Administration (Government) jobs: 4.16%

Durham, home of Duke University, is part of the world-famous Research Triangle, along with Raleigh, the site of North Carolina State University and Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina. The residents of Durham will have significant protection in a recession. It's a college town that's close to other economically vibrant college towns and is commuting distance to state government jobs in Raleigh, the state capital. The Durham area also has six hospitals and the Research Triangle Park, the largest research park in the world.