Best all-round cities for AI careers in the West Coast
Question 1
Where are you right now?
Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.
Key facts
- #1 Mountain View, CA: 95 / 100
- #2 San Francisco, CA: 95 / 100
- #3 San Mateo, CA: 88 / 100
- 36 cities ranked in the West Coast
- Data as of November 2026
- 1Mountain View CA95 / 100
- 2San Francisco CA95 / 100
- 3San Mateo CA88 / 100
- 4Palo Alto CA87 / 100
- 5Sunnyvale CA86 / 100
- 6Santa Clara CA82 / 100
- 7San Jose CA78 / 100
- 8Foster City CA77 / 100
- 9Bellevue WA77 / 100
- 10Seattle WA76 / 100
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Mountain View leads on 95 / 100, and #10 Seattle is at 76 / 100.
- Foster City reaches #8 on a sample of 520 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- San Francisco is the largest market in the top ten, with 11,798 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
Mountain View CA
95 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 45%
- AI-skill openings
- 682
- Median posted pay
- $213k
Hiring most here: Intuit, Waymo, Google
Based on 1,515 openings.
- 2
San Francisco CA
95 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 42%
- AI-skill openings
- 4,931
- Median posted pay
- $215k
Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation
Based on 11,798 openings.
- 4
Palo Alto CA
87 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 38%
- AI-skill openings
- 472
- Median posted pay
- $203k
Hiring most here: SpaceX, Rivian Automotive, Stanford Health Care
Based on 1,237 openings.
- 5
Sunnyvale CA
86 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 29%
- AI-skill openings
- 450
- Median posted pay
- $210k
Hiring most here: Applied Intuition, Wayve, Amazon
Based on 1,556 openings.
- 6
Santa Clara CA
82 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 28%
- AI-skill openings
- 433
- Median posted pay
- $209k
Hiring most here: Pure Storage, Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon
Based on 1,530 openings.
- 7
San Jose CA
78 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 23%
- AI-skill openings
- 542
- Median posted pay
- $199k
Hiring most here: Super Micro Computer, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems
Based on 2,379 openings.
- 8
Foster City CA
77 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 24%
- AI-skill openings
- 125
- Median posted pay
- $230k
Hiring most here: Gilead Sciences, Zoox, Replit
Based on 520 openings.
- 9
Bellevue WA
77 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 28%
- AI-skill openings
- 385
- Median posted pay
- $197k
Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta
Based on 1,396 openings.
- 10
Seattle WA
76 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 26%
- AI-skill openings
- 1,382
- Median posted pay
- $180k
Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI
Based on 5,343 openings.
- 11
Menlo Park CA
73 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 34%
- AI-skill openings
- 148
- Median posted pay
- $195k
Hiring most here: Snowflake, Robinhood Ventures Fund I, Hippocratic AI
Based on 437 openings.
- 13
Redwood City CA
65 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 26%
- AI-skill openings
- 123
- Median posted pay
- $187k
Hiring most here: Corcept Therapeutics, SB Energy, C3 AI
Based on 471 openings.
- 14
Oakland CA
54 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 17%
- AI-skill openings
- 98
- Median posted pay
- $179k
Hiring most here: Pacific Gas & Electric, Blue Shield of California, Fivetran
Based on 581 openings.
- 15
San Carlos CA
54 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 14%
- AI-skill openings
- 30
- Median posted pay
- $195k
Hiring most here: 1X Technologies, Joby Aviation, Natera
Based on 210 openings.
- 16
Santa Monica CA
52 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 21%
- AI-skill openings
- 63
- Median posted pay
- $167k
Hiring most here: Amazon, Snap, FIGS
Based on 307 openings.
- 17
Fremont CA
48 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 13%
- AI-skill openings
- 59
- Median posted pay
- $173k
Hiring most here: Agility Robotics, Coherent, LAM Research
Based on 470 openings.
- 18
Newark CA
44 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 19%
- AI-skill openings
- 25
- Median posted pay
- $171k
Hiring most here: Lucid Motors, Applied Industrial Technologies, Stratus Technologies
Based on 130 openings.
- 19
San Diego CA
43 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 13%
- AI-skill openings
- 386
- Median posted pay
- $150k
Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics
Based on 3,085 openings.
- 20
Irvine CA
42 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 12%
- AI-skill openings
- 174
- Median posted pay
- $156k
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Field AI, Rivian Automotive
Based on 1,503 openings.
- 21
Los Angeles CA
41 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 10%
- AI-skill openings
- 501
- Median posted pay
- $153k
Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space
Based on 5,126 openings.
- 22
Milpitas CA
40 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 14%
- AI-skill openings
- 35
- Median posted pay
- $160k
Hiring most here: Cisco Systems, KLA, Psiquantum
Based on 257 openings.
- 23
El Segundo CA
38 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 10%
- AI-skill openings
- 99
- Median posted pay
- $160k
Hiring most here: Chaos Industries, Radiant, Varda Space Industries
Based on 949 openings.
- 24
Santa Ana CA
37 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 10%
- AI-skill openings
- 27
- Median posted pay
- $172k
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, First American Financial, Anduril
Based on 258 openings.
- 25
Alameda CA
35 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 9%
- AI-skill openings
- 17
- Median posted pay
- $189k
Hiring most here: Saildrone, Penumbra, Kairos Power
Based on 189 openings.
Full ranking
All 36 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain View CA | 95 / 100 | 1,515 |
| 2 | San Francisco CA | 95 / 100 | 11,798 |
| 3 | San Mateo CA | 88 / 100 | 894 |
| 4 | Palo Alto CA | 87 / 100 | 1,237 |
| 5 | Sunnyvale CA | 86 / 100 | 1,556 |
| 6 | Santa Clara CA | 82 / 100 | 1,530 |
| 7 | San Jose CA | 78 / 100 | 2,379 |
| 8 | Foster City CA | 77 / 100 | 520 |
| 9 | Bellevue WA | 77 / 100 | 1,396 |
| 10 | Seattle WA | 76 / 100 | 5,343 |
| 11 | Menlo Park CA | 73 / 100 | 437 |
| 12 | Redmond WA | 73 / 100 | 1,147 |
| 13 | Redwood City CA | 65 / 100 | 471 |
| 14 | Oakland CA | 54 / 100 | 581 |
| 15 | San Carlos CA | 54 / 100 | 210 |
| 16 | Santa Monica CA | 52 / 100 | 307 |
| 17 | Fremont CA | 48 / 100 | 470 |
| 18 | Newark CA | 44 / 100 | 130 |
| 19 | San Diego CA | 43 / 100 | 3,085 |
| 20 | Irvine CA | 42 / 100 | 1,503 |
| 21 | Los Angeles CA | 41 / 100 | 5,126 |
| 22 | Milpitas CA | 40 / 100 | 257 |
| 23 | El Segundo CA | 38 / 100 | 949 |
| 24 | Santa Ana CA | 37 / 100 | 258 |
| 25 | Alameda CA | 35 / 100 | 189 |
| 26 | Kirkland WA | 29 / 100 | 158 |
| 27 | Torrance CA | 28 / 100 | 735 |
| 28 | Everett WA | 28 / 100 | 186 |
| 29 | Pleasanton CA | 27 / 100 | 174 |
| 30 | Renton WA | 23 / 100 | 130 |
| 31 | Berkeley CA | 23 / 100 | 238 |
| 32 | Long Beach CA | 22 / 100 | 840 |
| 33 | Newport Beach CA | 15 / 100 | 286 |
| 34 | Portland OR | 13 / 100 | 792 |
| 35 | Sacramento CA | 12 / 100 | 1,364 |
| 36 | Corona CA | 0 / 100 | 143 |
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 west coast?
- Mountain View is the best all-round city for AI careers in the West Coast, with a score of 95 / 100.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 36 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 36 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
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the West Coast
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the West Coast
- Counties with the lowest unemployment in the West Coast
- Counties where unemployment fell the most in the West Coast
- Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the West Coast
- Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the West Coast
- Best all-round cities for AI careers
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for AI careers in the West Coast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-west-coast
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-west-coast">Best all-round cities for AI careers in the West Coast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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