NextChapter

Best all-round cities for remote workers

San Francisco is the best all-round city for remote workers in the United States, with a score of 95 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 San Francisco, CA: 95 / 100
  • #2 Austin, TX: 92 / 100
  • #3 Boston, MA: 92 / 100
  • 100 cities ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1San Francisco CA95 / 100
  2. 2Austin TX92 / 100
  3. 3Boston MA92 / 100
  4. 4Reston VA88 / 100
  5. 5Washington DC85 / 100
  6. 6Ann Arbor MI83 / 100
  7. 7Santa Clara CA83 / 100
  8. 8New York NY83 / 100
  9. 9Eden Prairie MN83 / 100
  10. 10Atlanta GA78 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: San Francisco leads on 95 / 100, and #10 Atlanta is at 78 / 100.
  • Eden Prairie reaches #9 on a sample of 321 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 200 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Remote work is attached to a city by the employer's base. This list weighs how many openings are remote, how many there are and what the pay is worth locally, to show which cities hire remotely in volume.

How to use it

If you want a remote role, the top cities show where the employers are. You can live elsewhere and still apply to them as a remote candidate.

The top 25

  1. 1

    San Francisco CA

    95 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    8%
    Pay after cost of living
    $186k
    Remote openings
    988

    Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation

    Based on 11,798 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Francisco

  2. 2

    Austin TX

    92 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    8%
    Pay after cost of living
    $166k
    Remote openings
    482

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare

    Based on 5,903 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Austin

  3. 3

    Boston MA

    92 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    11%
    Pay after cost of living
    $157k
    Remote openings
    541

    Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential

    Based on 5,143 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Boston

  4. 4

    Reston VA

    88 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    12%
    Pay after cost of living
    $157k
    Remote openings
    97

    Hiring most here: ICF International, CACI International, Anduril Industries

    Based on 783 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Reston

  5. 5

    Washington DC

    85 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $147k
    Remote openings
    313

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, CACI International, Shield AI

    Based on 4,457 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Washington

  6. 6

    Ann Arbor MI

    83 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    13%
    Pay after cost of living
    $157k
    Remote openings
    46

    Hiring most here: May Mobility, Torc Robotics, Thomson Reuters

    Based on 350 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Ann Arbor

  7. 7

    Santa Clara CA

    83 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    5%
    Pay after cost of living
    $188k
    Remote openings
    84

    Hiring most here: Pure Storage, Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon

    Based on 1,530 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Clara

  8. 8

    New York NY

    83 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    6%
    Pay after cost of living
    $147k
    Remote openings
    1,145

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley

    Based on 20,589 openings.

    Jobs and employers in New York

  9. 9

    Eden Prairie MN

    83 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    43%
    Pay after cost of living
    $137k
    Remote openings
    137

    Hiring most here: Unitedhealth Group, LHC Group, Illinois Tool Works

    Based on 321 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Eden Prairie

  10. 10

    Atlanta GA

    78 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $135k
    Remote openings
    372

    Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent

    Based on 5,566 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Atlanta

  11. 11

    Seattle WA

    78 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    5%
    Pay after cost of living
    $162k
    Remote openings
    247

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 5,343 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Seattle

  12. 12

    Denver CO

    78 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $132k
    Remote openings
    210

    Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon

    Based on 2,867 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Denver

  13. 13

    Chicago IL

    78 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $130k
    Remote openings
    517

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential

    Based on 7,607 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  14. 14

    Dallas TX

    78 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $131k
    Remote openings
    307

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Shield AI, Texas Instruments

    Based on 4,429 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Dallas

  15. 15

    Santa Ana CA

    76 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    10%
    Pay after cost of living
    $155k
    Remote openings
    27

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, First American Financial, Anduril

    Based on 258 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Ana

  16. 16

    Raleigh NC

    75 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    10%
    Pay after cost of living
    $121k
    Remote openings
    143

    Hiring most here: First Citizens Bank, Dewberry, MaintainX

    Based on 1,427 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Raleigh

  17. 17

    Oakland CA

    74 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    6%
    Pay after cost of living
    $162k
    Remote openings
    34

    Hiring most here: Pacific Gas & Electric, Blue Shield of California, Fivetran

    Based on 581 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Oakland

  18. 18

    Sacramento CA

    74 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $127k
    Remote openings
    100

    Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, Nalu Medical

    Based on 1,364 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sacramento

  19. 19

    Waltham MA

    72 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    5%
    Pay after cost of living
    $183k
    Remote openings
    30

    Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry

    Based on 583 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Waltham

  20. 20

    McLean VA

    72 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    5%
    Pay after cost of living
    $148k
    Remote openings
    59

    Hiring most here: Capital One, The MITRE, Steampunk

    Based on 1,155 openings.

    Jobs and employers in McLean

  21. 21

    Minneapolis MN

    72 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $121k
    Remote openings
    95

    Hiring most here: Mortenson, Target ALS Foundation, Ameriprise Certificate

    Based on 1,276 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Minneapolis

  22. 22

    Philadelphia PA

    71 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    6%
    Pay after cost of living
    $127k
    Remote openings
    116

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

    Based on 1,820 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Philadelphia

  23. 23

    Los Angeles CA

    68 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    5%
    Pay after cost of living
    $134k
    Remote openings
    240

    Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space

    Based on 5,126 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Los Angeles

  24. 24

    Brooklyn NY

    68 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $126k
    Remote openings
    49

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

    Based on 680 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Brooklyn

  25. 25

    Hartford CT

    67 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    9%
    Pay after cost of living
    $128k
    Remote openings
    31

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

    Based on 350 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Hartford

Full ranking

All 100 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1San Francisco CA95 / 10011,798
2Austin TX92 / 1005,903
3Boston MA92 / 1005,143
4Reston VA88 / 100783
5Washington DC85 / 1004,457
6Ann Arbor MI83 / 100350
7Santa Clara CA83 / 1001,530
8New York NY83 / 10020,589
9Eden Prairie MN83 / 100321
10Atlanta GA78 / 1005,566
11Seattle WA78 / 1005,343
12Denver CO78 / 1002,867
13Chicago IL78 / 1007,607
14Dallas TX78 / 1004,429
15Santa Ana CA76 / 100258
16Raleigh NC75 / 1001,427
17Oakland CA74 / 100581
18Sacramento CA74 / 1001,364
19Waltham MA72 / 100583
20McLean VA72 / 1001,155
21Minneapolis MN72 / 1001,276
22Philadelphia PA71 / 1001,820
23Los Angeles CA68 / 1005,126
24Brooklyn NY68 / 100680
25Hartford CT67 / 100350
26San Diego CA67 / 1003,085
27Redwood City CA67 / 100471
28Mountain View CA66 / 1001,515
29Phoenix AZ66 / 1002,749
30Chantilly VA65 / 100555
31Palo Alto CA65 / 1001,237
32Milwaukee WI65 / 100827
33Columbus OH64 / 1001,892
34Arlington VA64 / 1001,989
35Portland OR63 / 100792
36Nashville TN61 / 1001,650
37Alexandria VA60 / 100584
38Rockville MD60 / 100355
39Miami FL60 / 1002,344
40Pittsburgh PA60 / 1001,514
41San Jose CA59 / 1002,379
42Alpharetta GA59 / 100576
43Indianapolis IN59 / 1001,422
44Bellevue WA58 / 1001,396
45Sunnyvale CA58 / 1001,556
46Detroit MI58 / 100734
47Las Vegas NV55 / 100932
48Kansas City MO55 / 100879
49Menlo Park CA55 / 100437
50Herndon VA53 / 100821
51Cambridge MA53 / 1001,141
52Louisville KY53 / 1002,064
53Orlando FL53 / 1001,272
54Bethesda MD52 / 100443
55Houston TX52 / 1004,330
56Irvine CA52 / 1001,503
57Santa Monica CA52 / 100307
58Salt Lake City UT51 / 1001,048
59White Plains NY51 / 100222
60Richmond VA51 / 1001,136
61San Mateo CA50 / 100894
62Charlotte NC49 / 1003,198
63Tampa FL49 / 1001,738
64Baltimore MD49 / 1001,066
65San Carlos CA49 / 100210
66Somerville MA45 / 100295
67Tallahassee FL45 / 100759
68Boulder CO44 / 100423
69St. Louis MO43 / 100537
70Albany NY43 / 100366
71Schaumburg IL42 / 100218
72San Antonio TX42 / 1001,282
73Jersey City NJ41 / 100618
74Irving TX41 / 100883
75Oklahoma City OK41 / 100569
76Fremont CA39 / 100470
77Reno NV39 / 100296
78Princeton NJ38 / 100396
79Buffalo NY38 / 100416
80Cincinnati OH38 / 1001,379
81Huntsville AL37 / 1001,154
82Long Beach CA35 / 100840
83Torrance CA34 / 100735
84Omaha NE34 / 100545
85Tempe AZ34 / 100672
86Cleveland OH34 / 100891
87Plano TX33 / 1001,051
88Norfolk VA33 / 100332
89Boise ID33 / 100360
90Westminster CO33 / 100258
91Foster City CA33 / 100520
92Redmond WA31 / 1001,147
93Berkeley CA31 / 100238
94Lexington MA30 / 100255
95Colorado Springs CO29 / 100692
96Fort Worth TX29 / 1001,267
97Scottsdale AZ29 / 100758
98El Segundo CA28 / 100949
99Syracuse NY28 / 100400
100Mc Lean VA27 / 100234

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): remote share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 30%, remote openings 30%.

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 200 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 remote workers?
San Francisco is the best all-round city for remote workers in the United States, with a score of 95 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
100 cities have at least 200 openings, so the list has 100 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): remote share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 30%, remote openings 30%. 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 remote workers,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-remote-workers

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-remote-workers">Best all-round cities for remote workers (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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

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