Best for job growth

Towns include:  Granite Bay, Lincoln, Rocklin, Roseville
Job growth (2000-2007): 37.08%

Construction teams are working hard to keep up with housing demand in Placer County, which spans from the capital of Sacramento, through Lake Tahoe to the edge of Nevada. Once a major destination for wealth-seekers during the California Gold Rush, the area is now seeing a boom in construction jobs.

Its financial-services industry and its leisure and hospitality businesses have received an infusion of new workers thanks to an expanded transportation infrastructure and the strong presence of companies like Hewlett-Packard, Oracle Corporation, and Ace Hardware. --A.C.

NEXT: Columbia County, GA