Syracuse Job Guide

Syracuse is the largest city in the central area of the state of New York and is the county seat of Onondaga County, in which the city is located. The city is named for the ancient Greek city of Syracuse in Sicily, which is notable both for being the home of the famed Greek scientist Archimedes who discovered the concept of volume and for being the site of a major campaign in the Peloponnesian War of 431-404 B.C. between the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta. Although Syracuse was originally a transportation hub linking the Erie Canal with its many tributaries, it was able to successfully adapt first to the railroads and later to the freeway systems. Syracuse today is located at the intersection of two major interstate freeways and also hosts central New York's largest airport. The city is also home to Syracuse University and was ranked as the fourth-best place to raise a family by Forbes magazine.

Geographically speaking, Syracuse is located almost exactly in the center of Onondaga County and lies in the path of the Erie Canal. Ironically however, the closest Great Lake is not Lake Erie, but rather Lake Ontario. Syracuse has a humid climate and is renowned for its heavy snowfalls during the winter season - Syracuse receives more snow on average than any other city in the United States. Syracuse has roughly 150,000 residents as of that last Census with a median household income of $25,000.

Although one would expect Syracuse to have been affected badly by the recent recession, this is not in fact the case. As of May 2010, unemployment for Syracuse currently stands at 7.7 percent, well below the national average of 9.9 percent. And over the past year, the economy has been very steady, fluctuating only approximately .02 percent. This indicates that the local economy is quite robust and is a good place for job-seekers, as the area is resistant to economic downturns.

Within the Syracuse metropolitan area, the employment options are quite diverse. Syracuse's largest employers by industry include healthcare, education, finance, telecommunications, manufacturing and government defense contractors. Currently, the top ten employers by company are the State University of New York Health Science Center with 6400 employees, Syracuse University with 5925, Wegman's Food Markets with 3760, St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center with 3150, Magna Drivetrain with 2600, Crouse Hospital with 2400, Lockheed-Martin MS2 with 2350, P&C Food Markets with 2220, National Grid (electric/gas utility) with 1860 and Loretto (senior care) with 1825. Other major employers include the Carrier Corporation, Empire Expo (greater New York State Fair), UPS and the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York.

Without regard for industry, the jobs in Syracuse that are in high demand are those for registered nurses, management, dental hygienists, office managers, dental assistants, sales associates, dental lab technicians, denture technicians, insurance specialists, front desk positions and physical therapists.

Leaving aside the sales associate positions, as they are omission-based, not salary-based, management offers the best compensation. Depending on title, experience and industry, managers can expect to make an annual media salary between $50,500 and $78,500. In the healthcare industry, physical therapists make a median annual wage of $61,670, registered nurses make a median annual salary of $55,310, dental hygienists make a median annual salary of $55,280, dental assistants make a median annual salary of $30,030, dental lab technicians make a median annual salary of $30,000, nurse assistants make a median annual salary from $23,280 to $28,885 depending whether they are certified or not. Outside of healthcare, office managers make a median annual salary of $54,500, front desk or receptionists make a median annual salary of $28,650 and cashiers make a median annual salary of $20,500.