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Partly Cloudy Valley Stream ranks among best for job seekers
If you’re in the market for a new job, Valley Stream’s a good place to be. That’s what West Coast-based financial company NerdWallet is saying, ranking the community the seventh best place to be in New York for job seekers.
NerdWallet took several factors into account including the population growth of residents 16 and older, median household income and unemployment rate. Valley Stream saw its working age population grow by 3.8 percent from 2008 to 2011. The village’s unemployment rate is 6.2 percent and the median household income is nearly $85,000. “Valley Stream did really well for us on all three variables,” said Annie Wang, a spokeswoman for NerdWallet. “It says the community has a lot of potential for new residents.”
Out of communities on Long Island, Valley Stream ranked only behind Rockville Centre, which was first overall in the state, Smithtown (third) and Huntington (sixth).
Wang said that NerdWallet’s mission is to provide information that is useful for consumers. This was the first time the company has come out with these rankings and New York was one of the first states it selected.
She explained that the company wanted to give job seekers valuable insight as to where there are good opportunities. Valley Stream is a good place to be, she said, because of its proximity to New York City, yet its ability to give people a respite from the crowds of the city.
Wang noted that when the population of a community is growing, that is favorable. She says that means people are coming to Valley Stream and staying.
For unemployment, Valley Stream’s rate was compared to areas in the New York City based on figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Mayor Ed Fare said he was pleased with the ranking, but said it is nothing Valley Stream officials don’t already know.
Fare said that Valley Stream is in a great location because it is close to John F. Kennedy Airport, and there are three train stations for quick and easy transportation to the city. Yet, he said, the community offers residents a suburban life.
