There's no better metropolitan area for job hunters than Minneapolis.

That's according to a recent report by Forbes, which cites research from New York-based recruiting firm Ajilon Professional Staffing.

Ajilon analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Labor, taking into account unemployment rates, diversity of industries, range in size of companies offering jobs, and the education of residents in each metropolitan area.

The Minneapolis metro area topped the list, due in part to its unemployment rate of 6.5 percent-below Minnesota's average of 6.7 percent and well below the national rate of 9 percent.

Jodi Chavez, senior vice president of Ajilon, told Forbes that Minneapolis won because of a combination of factors, including the presence of large companies in the financial services, health care, retail, and manufacturing sectors that have increased hiring lately. Hiring among large medical device manufacturers was also taken into account.

“The quality of life in Minneapolis overall also tends to be high,” Chavez told Forbes. “The city has low crime rates and poverty rates and relatively low cost of living while being one of the major metropolitan centers of the Midwest. The Minneapolis-St. Paul market is in somewhat of a sweet spot of offering jobs with relatively high pay while having a low cost of living.”

Austin, Texas, took the number two spot, due in large part to its low cost of living, wide range of company sizes, and a “diverse talent pool.” Salt Lake City, Utah, ranked third.