Best cities for aerospace and defense pay after cost of living
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 San Jose, CA: $187k
- #2 Alameda, CA: $167k
- #3 Kirkland, WA: $160k
- 19 cities ranked in the United States
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $143k across the typical city in our data.
- 1San Jose CA$187k
- 2Alameda CA$167k
- 3Kirkland WA$160k
- 4Arlington VA$152k
- 5Washington DC$151k
- 6Huntsville AL$151k
- 7Herndon VA$151k
- 8Austin TX$150k
- 9Denver CO$150k
- 10Houston TX$145k
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: San Jose leads on $187k, and #10 Houston is at $145k.
- Arlington is the largest market in the top ten, with 58 openings with pay posted behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 30 openings with pay posted are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Pay in an industry varies by city as much as the cost of living does. Adjusting posted pay for local prices shows where the same industry's salary goes furthest.
How to use it
Use it to compare offers in the same industry across cities. A city with a lower headline salary can leave you ahead once prices are counted.
The top 25
- 1
San Jose CA
$187k
- Median posted pay
- $207k
- Local prices vs US average
- +10%
- Openings with pay posted
- 21
Hiring most here: Super Micro Computer, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems
Based on 21 openings.
- 2
Alameda CA
$167k
- Median posted pay
- $185k
- State prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 32
Hiring most here: Saildrone, Penumbra, Kairos Power
Based on 32 openings.
- 4
Arlington VA
$152k
- Median posted pay
- $154k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 58
Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Bloomberg Industry Group
Based on 58 openings.
- 5
Washington DC
$151k
- Median posted pay
- $165k
- Local prices vs US average
- +9%
- Openings with pay posted
- 32
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, CACI International, Shield AI
Based on 32 openings.
- 6
Huntsville AL
$151k
- Median posted pay
- $134k
- State prices vs US average
- −11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 20
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, Northrop Grumman, Blue Origin
Based on 20 openings.
- 8
Austin TX
$150k
- Median posted pay
- $148k
- Local prices vs US average
- −2%
- Openings with pay posted
- 25
Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare
Based on 25 openings.
- 9
Denver CO
$150k
- Median posted pay
- $159k
- Local prices vs US average
- +6%
- Openings with pay posted
- 26
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 26 openings.
- 10
Houston TX
$145k
- Median posted pay
- $143k
- Local prices vs US average
- −1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 20
Hiring most here: Axiom Space, Trinzic, Fervo Energy
Based on 20 openings.
- 11
Manassas VA
$143k
- Median posted pay
- $145k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 31
Hiring most here: General Dynamics Mission Systems, Electra.Aero, Holder Construction
Based on 31 openings.
- 12
Westminster CO
$143k
- Median posted pay
- $147k
- State prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 85
Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro
Based on 85 openings.
- 13
Alexandria VA
$141k
- Median posted pay
- $142k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 33
Hiring most here: Kearney, Patent and Trademark Office, Analytic Services (ANSER)
Based on 33 openings.
- 14
Los Angeles CA
$141k
- Median posted pay
- $160k
- Local prices vs US average
- +14%
- Openings with pay posted
- 221
Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space
Based on 221 openings.
- 15
El Segundo CA
$139k
- Median posted pay
- $154k
- State prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 56
Hiring most here: Chaos Industries, Radiant, Varda Space Industries
Based on 56 openings.
- 16
Torrance CA
$138k
- Median posted pay
- $153k
- State prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 106
Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros
Based on 106 openings.
- 17
McLean VA
$125k
- Median posted pay
- $127k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 26
Hiring most here: Capital One, The MITRE, Steampunk
Based on 26 openings.
- 18
Fort Worth TX
$118k
- Median posted pay
- $122k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 29
Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft, MP Materials
Based on 29 openings.
- 19
San Diego CA
$116k
- Median posted pay
- $130k
- Local prices vs US average
- +12%
- Openings with pay posted
- 23
Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics
Based on 23 openings.
Full ranking
All 19 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose CA | $187k | 21 |
| 2 | Alameda CA | $167k | 32 |
| 3 | Kirkland WA | $160k | 43 |
| 4 | Arlington VA | $152k | 58 |
| 5 | Washington DC | $151k | 32 |
| 6 | Huntsville AL | $151k | 20 |
| 7 | Herndon VA | $151k | 45 |
| 8 | Austin TX | $150k | 25 |
| 9 | Denver CO | $150k | 26 |
| 10 | Houston TX | $145k | 20 |
| 11 | Manassas VA | $143k | 31 |
| 12 | Westminster CO | $143k | 85 |
| 13 | Alexandria VA | $141k | 33 |
| 14 | Los Angeles CA | $141k | 221 |
| 15 | El Segundo CA | $139k | 56 |
| 16 | Torrance CA | $138k | 106 |
| 17 | McLean VA | $125k | 26 |
| 18 | Fort Worth TX | $118k | 29 |
| 19 | San Diego CA | $116k | 23 |
How this ranking works
The score is the median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) for roles at employers in this industry in a city, divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 20 listings in the industry that post a salary 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 30 openings are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: posted annual salary ranges; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024 (metro areas and states). 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 cities for aerospace and defense pay after cost of living?
- San Jose leads the United States for pay after the cost of living in this industry: its median posted salary buys what $187k buys at average US prices.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 19 cities have at least 30 openings with pay posted, so the list has 19 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- The score is the median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) for roles at employers in this industry in a city, divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 20 listings in the industry that post a salary 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 cities for aerospace and defense pay after cost of living,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-aerospace-and-defense-pay-vs-cost-of-living
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-aerospace-and-defense-pay-vs-cost-of-living">Best cities for aerospace and defense pay after cost of living (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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