Small cities, big Textio Index scores

In his first presidential address, Donald Trump outlined the need to grow the US economy, especially in the Heartland. Part of expanding the economy is being able to attract the right people to the right jobs, no matter where they are located. Textio has shown the language that companies use in a job post changes who applies, which ultimately determines who gets hired, and how fast. Looking at the data, the smartest companies hiring right now, are located in the most unexpected places — smaller cities in the middle of the country.

Writing a compelling job post is difficult, but there are some companies that handle the task with panache. Late last year we set out to recognize these companies with the introduction of the Textio 50. The 50 organizations on that list are the upper echelon of an index of nearly 60,000 organizations around the world ranked by recruiting performance.

We looked at the list of top 10 companies that are hiring well and found some interesting patterns:

• None of the companies are located in cities of over 1 million people
• Half the companies are located in cities with less than 75,000 people
• Seven of the top 10 companies are not located on the coasts
• Ohio is home to two of the best companies, including number one, Kay Jewelers

Top 10 Companies in the Textio Index:

1. Kay Jewelers, Akron OH, Pop. 198,100
2. C.H. Robinson, Eden Prairie, MN, Pop. 62,603
3. TJX Canada/Winners, Mississauga, ON, Canada Pop. 713, 445
4. Dress Barn, Mahwah, NJ Pop. 25,890
5. Twilio, San Francisco, CA, Pop. 837,442
6. JoAnn Fabrics, Hudson, OH, Pop. 22,474
7. Kellog Company, Battle Creek, MI, Pop. 51,848
8. Bashas’, Chandler, AZ, Pop. 249,146
9. L3 ComCept, Rockwall, TX, Pop. 40,922
10. REI, Kent, WA, Pop. 124,435