Monday, March 2, 2009, 11:03am MST

Phoenix and Tucson rank among the top 10 U.S. cities for defense jobs, according to research from ClearanceJobs.com.

The employment/headhunting firm said Monday that Phoenix and Tucson are among the top locations for defense and security jobs. Other cities on the top 10 list include: Washington, Orlando and Tampa, Fla.,, Huntsville, Ala., Dallas, Colorado Springs, Colo., San Diego and Los Angeles.

The Phoenix area is home to a number of major defense contractors including Boeing Co. and General Dynamics as well as suppliers of armor for vehicles and personnel. Raytheon has its missile division based in Tucson.

Defense contractors’ employment levels remain fairly stabile and some are hiring even as industries such as banking, housing, retail and construction cut jobs.

ClearanceJobs.com.job site is arm of Dice Holdings Inc. (NYSE:DHX).

Bob Hagen (1003 Posts)