The economy might be on the upswing, but it's still not easy tofind a job. For the fourth year in a row, Accounting Principalsreleased its list of the top cities to find financial servicesjobs.

Several factors made 2014 a better year than 2013 for jobhunters in the sector (and overall, with the U.S. unemployment rateat 6.1%). Accounting Principals used employment data from itsbranch offices to compile its list.

“The growth of the technology industry has had a positive impacton the industry, with finance jobs becoming increasingly availablein non-financial firms and attracting people with nichebackgrounds,” said Jodi Chavez, senior vice president at AccountingPrincipals in a statement.

“We believe the accounting and finance industry is on a goodtrajectory and this trend will continue in the years ahead,” sheadded.

The variety of hot financial services jobs was reflected in a June listThinkAdvisor compiled by mining data from the Bureau of LaborStatistics. The top spot was taken by personal financial advisors.Such positions are projected to grow 27% by 2022.

(Check out the 8 Fastest Growing Financial Services Jobs:2014.)

The cities on this year's list offer different strengths, thefinance and accounting firm noted. For instance, in Chicago there'sa high demand for accountants with between two and five years'experience and the city is home to mix of large banks andindustries. On the other hand, San Mateo, California, made the listwith a better balance of boutique and startup tech firms than inSan Francisco.

To our list of the 10 Best Cities for Jobs in FinancialServices: 2014 we've included the Bureau of Labor Statistics'July unemployment rate for the metropolitan area that include eachcity. (Rates are for July, unless noted otherwise.)

10. Houston

Overall Unemployment rate: 5.5%

Last year, this Texas city was one spot from the top of thelist. It slipped, but stayed in the Top 10.

9. Newport Beach, California

Unemployment rate: 8% (Los Angeles area)

Newport Beach, which also was not listed in 2013, joins itsneighbor, which is next on the list.

8. Los Angeles

Unemployment rate: 8%

The City of Angels lagged last year, failing to make the Top 10.This year is a different story, despite the area's relatively highjobless figure.

7. Portland, Oregon

Unemployment rate: 6.3%

Last year, the only Northwest city to make the list was Seattle.This year, it's Portland representing the region.

6. Chicago

Unemployment rate: 6.8%

The City of Big Shoulders made its move this year, leaping threespots. The city as a whole saw its overall unemployment rate dropnearly three percentage points.

5. San Mateo, California

Unemployment rate: 5.7%

This Silicon Valley city is a new addition to the list. Maybethat's not surprising considering the boom in tech companies.

4. San Francisco

Unemployment rate: 5.7%

The City by the Bay slipped a notch from No. 3, but combinedwith No. 5, the area is still quite strong for jobs.

3. Richmond, Virginia

Unemployment rate: 5.7%

Richmond moved up five spots from last year, the sameposition.

2. Paramus, N.J.

Unemployment rate: 5.6% (June)

The Bergen County town of about 26,000 is an easy commute to NewYork City and the vast number of financial services companies thatcall it home.

1. Raleigh, N.C.

Unemployment rate: 5.6%

The home to North Carolina State University is a new entrant onthe list and is the only one from the Tarheel State to appear.