NextChapter

Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Northeast

Boston is the best all-round city for AI careers in the Northeast, with a score of 91 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Boston, MA: 91 / 100
  • #2 Cambridge, MA: 85 / 100
  • #3 New York, NY: 84 / 100
  • 19 cities ranked in the Northeast
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Boston MA91 / 100
  2. 2Cambridge MA85 / 100
  3. 3New York NY84 / 100
  4. 4Waltham MA82 / 100
  5. 5Lexington MA72 / 100
  6. 6Jersey City NJ70 / 100
  7. 7Somerville MA69 / 100
  8. 8Princeton NJ66 / 100
  9. 9Quincy MA57 / 100
  10. 10Brooklyn NY52 / 100

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Boston (91 / 100) is well clear of Brooklyn at #10 (52 / 100).
  • Lexington reaches #5 on a sample of 255 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • New York is the largest market in the top ten, with 20,589 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Careers that use AI cluster in a few places. This list weighs the share and number of openings that ask for AI skills and the pay they offer, to show where AI work is concentrated.

How to use it

If you are building AI skills, the top cities show where the employers and the roles are. The gap between your city and the top is a guide to what to add to your résumé.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Boston MA

    91 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    22%
    AI-skill openings
    1,143
    Median posted pay
    $170k

    Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential

    Based on 5,143 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Boston

  2. 2

    Cambridge MA

    85 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    15%
    AI-skill openings
    169
    Median posted pay
    $198k

    Hiring most here: Harvard University, Biogen, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

    Based on 1,141 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cambridge

  3. 3

    New York NY

    84 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    21%
    AI-skill openings
    4,263
    Median posted pay
    $165k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley

    Based on 20,589 openings.

    Jobs and employers in New York

  4. 4

    Waltham MA

    82 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    16%
    AI-skill openings
    91
    Median posted pay
    $194k

    Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry

    Based on 583 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Waltham

  5. 5

    Lexington MA

    72 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    18%
    AI-skill openings
    45
    Median posted pay
    $170k

    Hiring most here: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab), Takeda Development Center Americas, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

    Based on 255 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lexington

  6. 6

    Jersey City NJ

    70 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    16%
    AI-skill openings
    96
    Median posted pay
    $157k

    Hiring most here: DTCC, Verisk Analytics, JPMorgan Chase

    Based on 618 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Jersey City

  7. 7

    Somerville MA

    69 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    21%
    AI-skill openings
    62
    Median posted pay
    $145k

    Hiring most here: Formlabs, Tulip Interfaces, Generate Biomedicines

    Based on 295 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Somerville

  8. 8

    Princeton NJ

    66 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    13%
    AI-skill openings
    53
    Median posted pay
    $177k

    Hiring most here: Genmab A/S, Otsuka, ZS Associates

    Based on 396 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Princeton

  9. 9

    Quincy MA

    57 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    14%
    AI-skill openings
    36
    Median posted pay
    $166k

    Hiring most here: State Street, Anduril Industries, Anduril

    Based on 258 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Quincy

  10. 10

    Brooklyn NY

    52 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    11%
    AI-skill openings
    72
    Median posted pay
    $142k

    Hiring most here: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Williams-Sonoma, Altana AI

    Based on 680 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Brooklyn

  11. 11

    Philadelphia PA

    49 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    7%
    AI-skill openings
    119
    Median posted pay
    $130k

    Hiring most here: Confidential, GSK, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

    Based on 1,820 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Philadelphia

  12. 12

    Newark NJ

    37 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    10%
    AI-skill openings
    42
    Median posted pay
    $130k

    Hiring most here: Broadridge Financial Solutions, Amazon, Audible

    Based on 426 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Newark

  13. 13

    Pittsburgh PA

    33 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    6%
    AI-skill openings
    85
    Median posted pay
    $114k

    Hiring most here: PNC Financial Services Group, Highmark Health, UPMC

    Based on 1,514 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Pittsburgh

  14. 14

    Hartford CT

    32 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    6%
    AI-skill openings
    22
    Median posted pay
    $133k

    Hiring most here: CVS HEALTH, Hartford HealthCare, Eversource Energy

    Based on 350 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Hartford

  15. 15

    White Plains NY

    31 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    7%
    AI-skill openings
    16
    Median posted pay
    $136k

    Hiring most here: New York Power Authority, FormativGroup, RWE Clean Energy

    Based on 222 openings.

    Jobs and employers in White Plains

  16. 16

    Albany NY

    18 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    6%
    AI-skill openings
    23
    Median posted pay
    $103k

    Hiring most here: KPMG, New York State, Broadview Credit Union

    Based on 366 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Albany

  17. 17

    Buffalo NY

    13 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    5%
    AI-skill openings
    19
    Median posted pay
    $108k

    Hiring most here: Moog Military Aircraft, University at Buffalo, Moog

    Based on 416 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Buffalo

  18. 18

    Syracuse NY

    7 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    2%
    AI-skill openings
    8
    Median posted pay
    $118k

    Hiring most here: Upstate Medical University, Hidden Level, HII Mission Technologies

    Based on 400 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Syracuse

  19. 19

    Rochester NY

    4 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    3%
    AI-skill openings
    15
    Median posted pay
    $99k

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund, Rochester Institute of Technology

    Based on 518 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rochester

Full ranking

All 19 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Boston MA91 / 1005,143
2Cambridge MA85 / 1001,141
3New York NY84 / 10020,589
4Waltham MA82 / 100583
5Lexington MA72 / 100255
6Jersey City NJ70 / 100618
7Somerville MA69 / 100295
8Princeton NJ66 / 100396
9Quincy MA57 / 100258
10Brooklyn NY52 / 100680
11Philadelphia PA49 / 1001,820
12Newark NJ37 / 100426
13Pittsburgh PA33 / 1001,514
14Hartford CT32 / 100350
15White Plains NY31 / 100222
16Albany NY18 / 100366
17Buffalo NY13 / 100416
18Syracuse NY7 / 100400
19Rochester NY4 / 100518

How this ranking works

A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): ai-skill share of openings 35%, ai-skill openings 30%, median posted pay 20%, pay after cost of living 15%.

A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most.

Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for ai careers in the northeast?
Boston is the best all-round city for AI careers in the Northeast, with a score of 91 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
19 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 19 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): ai-skill share of openings 35%, ai-skill openings 30%, median posted pay 20%, pay after cost of living 15%. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most. Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Northeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-northeast

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-northeast">Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Northeast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

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