4. Oklahoma City, OK
In 2009, USA Today named this city as one of the best performers in the recession, and it’s not hard to see why. The state capital has an unemployment rate of just 3.9 percent for 45-54-year-olds and 2.7 percent for 55-64-year-olds, with jobs concentrated in government, healthcare and energy. The city added 15,300 jobs between 2010 and 2011, and it’s also home to Chesapeake Energy, the second largest producer of national gas in the U.S. that employs 4,000 in the area – half of which are 34 or older.
