{"h1":"Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Northeast","faq":[{"a":"Boston is the best all-round city for AI careers in the Northeast, with a score of 91 / 100.","q":"Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for ai careers in the northeast?"},{"a":"19 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 19 entries.","q":"How many cities are ranked?"},{"a":"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.","q":"How is the ranking calculated?"},{"a":"Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.","q":"How often is it updated?"}],"lead":"Boston is the best all-round city for AI careers in the Northeast, with a score of 91 / 100.","minN":100,"rows":[{"n":5143,"bar":1,"key":"MA|boston","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/city/boston","name":"Boston","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"22%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"1,143"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$170k"}],"value":90.55555555555554,"change":null,"employers":["Vertex Pharmaceuticals","State Street","Confidential"],"valueLabel":"91 / 100"},{"n":1141,"bar":0.9386503067484664,"key":"MA|cambridge","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/city/cambridge","name":"Cambridge","rank":2,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"15%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"169"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$198k"}],"value":85,"change":null,"employers":["Harvard University","Biogen","Alnylam Pharmaceuticals"],"valueLabel":"85 / 100"},{"n":20589,"bar":0.932515337423313,"key":"NY|new york","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/new-york","name":"New York","rank":3,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"21%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"4,263"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$165k"}],"value":84.44444444444444,"change":null,"employers":["Amazon","Publicis Groupe","Morgan Stanley"],"valueLabel":"84 / 100"},{"n":583,"bar":0.9049079754601229,"key":"MA|waltham","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/city/waltham","name":"Waltham","rank":4,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"16%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"91"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$194k"}],"value":81.94444444444446,"change":null,"employers":["Boston Dynamics","Anduril Industries","Xometry"],"valueLabel":"82 / 100"},{"n":255,"bar":0.7914110429447853,"key":"MA|lexington","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/city/lexington","name":"Lexington","rank":5,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"18%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"45"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$170k"}],"value":71.66666666666666,"change":null,"employers":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab)","Takeda Development Center Americas","Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International"],"valueLabel":"72 / 100"},{"n":618,"bar":0.7730061349693252,"key":"NJ|jersey city","sub":"NJ","href":"/places/new-jersey/city/jersey-city","name":"Jersey City","rank":6,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"16%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"96"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$157k"}],"value":70,"change":null,"employers":["DTCC","Verisk Analytics","JPMorgan Chase"],"valueLabel":"70 / 100"},{"n":295,"bar":0.7638036809815952,"key":"MA|somerville","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/city/somerville","name":"Somerville","rank":7,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"21%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"62"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$145k"}],"value":69.16666666666667,"change":null,"employers":["Formlabs","Tulip Interfaces","Generate Biomedicines"],"valueLabel":"69 / 100"},{"n":396,"bar":0.7239263803680983,"key":"NJ|princeton","sub":"NJ","href":"/places/new-jersey/city/princeton","name":"Princeton","rank":8,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"13%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"53"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$177k"}],"value":65.55555555555556,"change":null,"employers":["Genmab A/S","Otsuka","ZS Associates"],"valueLabel":"66 / 100"},{"n":258,"bar":0.6257668711656444,"key":"MA|quincy","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/city/quincy","name":"Quincy","rank":9,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"14%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"36"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$166k"}],"value":56.66666666666668,"change":null,"employers":["State Street","Anduril Industries","Anduril"],"valueLabel":"57 / 100"},{"n":680,"bar":0.570552147239264,"key":"NY|brooklyn","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/brooklyn","name":"Brooklyn","rank":10,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"11%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"72"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$142k"}],"value":51.66666666666667,"change":null,"employers":["SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University","Williams-Sonoma","Altana AI"],"valueLabel":"52 / 100"},{"n":1820,"bar":0.5460122699386505,"key":"PA|philadelphia","sub":"PA","href":"/places/pennsylvania/city/philadelphia","name":"Philadelphia","rank":11,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"7%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"119"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$130k"}],"value":49.44444444444445,"change":null,"employers":["Confidential","GSK","Children's Hospital of Philadelphia"],"valueLabel":"49 / 100"},{"n":426,"bar":0.4049079754601227,"key":"NJ|newark","sub":"NJ","href":"/places/new-jersey/city/newark","name":"Newark","rank":12,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"10%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"42"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$130k"}],"value":36.66666666666666,"change":null,"employers":["Broadridge Financial Solutions","Amazon","Audible"],"valueLabel":"37 / 100"},{"n":1514,"bar":0.3680981595092025,"key":"PA|pittsburgh","sub":"PA","href":"/places/pennsylvania/city/pittsburgh","name":"Pittsburgh","rank":13,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"6%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"85"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$114k"}],"value":33.33333333333334,"change":null,"employers":["PNC Financial Services Group","Highmark Health","UPMC"],"valueLabel":"33 / 100"},{"n":350,"bar":0.3496932515337424,"key":"CT|hartford","sub":"CT","href":"/places/connecticut/city/hartford","name":"Hartford","rank":14,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"6%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"22"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$133k"}],"value":31.66666666666666,"change":null,"employers":["CVS HEALTH","Hartford HealthCare","Eversource Energy"],"valueLabel":"32 / 100"},{"n":222,"bar":0.3404907975460123,"key":"NY|white plains","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/white-plains","name":"White Plains","rank":15,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"7%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"16"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$136k"}],"value":30.83333333333333,"change":null,"employers":["New York Power Authority","FormativGroup","RWE Clean Energy"],"valueLabel":"31 / 100"},{"n":366,"bar":0.1993865030674847,"key":"NY|albany","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/albany","name":"Albany","rank":16,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"6%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"23"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$103k"}],"value":18.05555555555555,"change":null,"employers":["KPMG","New York State","Broadview Credit Union"],"valueLabel":"18 / 100"},{"n":416,"bar":0.1411042944785276,"key":"NY|buffalo","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/buffalo","name":"Buffalo","rank":17,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"5%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"19"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$108k"}],"value":12.77777777777778,"change":null,"employers":["Moog Military Aircraft","University at Buffalo","Moog"],"valueLabel":"13 / 100"},{"n":400,"bar":0.0766871165644172,"key":"NY|syracuse","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/syracuse","name":"Syracuse","rank":18,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"2%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"8"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$118k"}],"value":6.944444444444445,"change":null,"employers":["Upstate Medical University","Hidden Level","HII Mission Technologies"],"valueLabel":"7 / 100"},{"n":518,"bar":0.03987730061349693,"key":"NY|rochester","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/rochester","name":"Rochester","rank":19,"stats":[{"label":"AI-skill share of openings","value":"3%"},{"label":"AI-skill openings","value":"15"},{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$99k"}],"value":3.611111111111111,"change":null,"employers":["L3HARRIS Technologies","Harris Health Strategic Fund","Rochester Institute of Technology"],"valueLabel":"4 / 100"}],"slug":"best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-northeast","unit":"openings","scope":{"id":"northeast","kind":"region","name":"Northeast"},"title":"Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Northeast","family":"Best overall","method":["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."],"builtAt":"2026-11-03T03:50:28.595Z","edition":"2026-11","measure":"cai","sources":["NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay","Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024"],"baseline":null,"keyFacts":["#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"],"placeNoun":"cities","commentary":["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."],"license":"Free to use and share with a link to https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-northeast"}