Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Pacific Northwest
Key facts
- #1 Bellevue, WA: 28%
- #2 Seattle, WA: 26%
- #3 Redmond, WA: 18%
- 16 cities ranked in the Pacific Northwest
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 19% across all cities in our data.
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Bellevue (28%) is well clear of Hillsboro at #10 (4%).
- Seattle is the largest market in the top ten, with 5,347 openings behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
The top 25
- 1
Bellevue WA
28%
- AI-skill openings
- 386
- All openings
- 1,395
- Median posted pay
- $197k
Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta
Based on 1,395 openings.
- 2
Seattle WA
26%
- AI-skill openings
- 1,384
- All openings
- 5,347
- Median posted pay
- $180k
Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI
Based on 5,347 openings.
- 3
Redmond WA
18%
- AI-skill openings
- 210
- All openings
- 1,150
- Median posted pay
- $209k
Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft
Based on 1,150 openings.
- 4
Renton WA
12%
- AI-skill openings
- 15
- All openings
- 130
- Median posted pay
- $154k
Hiring most here: Hasbro, Providence Health & Services Washington, Michels
Based on 130 openings.
- 5
Kirkland WA
10%
- AI-skill openings
- 16
- All openings
- 158
- Median posted pay
- $171k
Hiring most here: Echodyne, Amazon, Google
Based on 158 openings.
- 6
Bothell WA
9%
- AI-skill openings
- 11
- All openings
- 129
- Median posted pay
- $163k
Hiring most here: Verathon, IonQ, Koninklijke Philips
Based on 129 openings.
- 7
Vancouver WA
8%
- AI-skill openings
- 12
- All openings
- 153
- Median posted pay
- $121k
Hiring most here: HP, ZoomInfo, Ecolab USA
Based on 153 openings.
- 8
Everett WA
6%
- AI-skill openings
- 11
- All openings
- 185
- Median posted pay
- $183k
Hiring most here: Helion Energy, Fortive, TerraPower
Based on 185 openings.
- 9
Tacoma WA
5%
- AI-skill openings
- 6
- All openings
- 119
- Median posted pay
- $105k
Hiring most here: Globe Main, TOTE Maritime
Based on 119 openings.
- 10
Hillsboro OR
4%
- AI-skill openings
- 8
- All openings
- 183
- Median posted pay
- $147k
Hiring most here: American Society for Microbiology, Washington County OR, Microsoft
Based on 183 openings.
- 11
Portland OR
4%
- AI-skill openings
- 30
- All openings
- 785
- Median posted pay
- $132k
Hiring most here: Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Keen Footwear
Based on 785 openings.
- 12
Salem OR
3%
- AI-skill openings
- 3
- All openings
- 118
- Median posted pay
- $126k
Hiring most here: Agility Robotics, Garmin, Northwest Human Services
Based on 118 openings.
- 13
Beaverton OR
2%
- AI-skill openings
- 2
- All openings
- 111
- Median posted pay
- $103k
Hiring most here: Ralliant, Apple, Software Specialists
Based on 111 openings.
- 14
Eugene OR
1%
- AI-skill openings
- 1
- All openings
- 110
- Median posted pay
- $122k
Hiring most here: University of Oregon, Sinclair
Based on 110 openings.
- 15
Spokane WA
1%
- AI-skill openings
- 1
- All openings
- 140
- Median posted pay
- $108k
Hiring most here: McKinstry, BDO USA
Based on 140 openings.
- 16
Kent WA
1%
- AI-skill openings
- 1
- All openings
- 146
- Median posted pay
- $125k
Hiring most here: Stoke Space, Cowboy Space, Amazon
Based on 146 openings.
Full ranking
All 16 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
How this ranking works
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool, found by our AI-skill tagger on the posting text.
The tagger looks for named skills (for example prompt engineering, machine learning, or a named AI tool), not the words "AI-powered" in a company blurb.
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 on employer career sites, verified in the last week. 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 ai-skill jobs in the pacific northwest?
- Bellevue leads the Pacific Northwest for AI skills: 28% of its professional openings ask for them, against 19% across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 16 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 16 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool, found by our AI-skill tagger on the posting text. The tagger looks for named skills (for example prompt engineering, machine learning, or a named AI tool), not the words "AI-powered" in a company blurb. 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
- Best cities for junior jobs in the Pacific Northwest
- Fastest-growing job markets in the Pacific Northwest
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Pacific Northwest
- Best cities for mid-career professionals in the Pacific Northwest
- Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Pacific Northwest
- Best cities for AI-skill jobs
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Pacific Northwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-ai-jobs-in-the-pacific-northwest
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-ai-jobs-in-the-pacific-northwest">Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Pacific Northwest (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
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