Best cities for financial services pay after cost of living
Key facts
- #1 San Francisco, CA: $173k
- #2 Mc Lean, VA: $171k
- #3 Washington, DC: $166k
- 33 cities ranked in the United States
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $151k across the typical city in our data.
- 1San Francisco CA$173k
- 2Mc Lean VA$171k
- 3Washington DC$166k
- 4Seattle WA$166k
- 5New York NY$164k
- 6Menlo Park CA$164k
- 7Salt Lake City UT$161k
- 8Addison TX$155k
- 9Jersey City NJ$153k
- 10Brooklyn NY$152k
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: San Francisco leads on $173k, and #10 Brooklyn is at $152k.
- Salt Lake City reaches #7 on a sample of 22 openings with pay posted, 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 1,032 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 Francisco CA
$173k
- Median posted pay
- $200k
- Local prices vs US average
- +16%
- Openings with pay posted
- 396
Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation
Based on 396 openings.
- 2
Mc Lean VA
$171k
- Median posted pay
- $173k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 29
Hiring most here: Capital One, Booz Allen Hamilton, Sunrise Senior Living
Based on 29 openings.
- 3
Washington DC
$166k
- Median posted pay
- $181k
- Local prices vs US average
- +9%
- Openings with pay posted
- 53
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, CACI International, Shield AI
Based on 53 openings.
- 4
Seattle WA
$166k
- Median posted pay
- $185k
- Local prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 62
Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI
Based on 62 openings.
- 5
New York NY
$164k
- Median posted pay
- $185k
- Local prices vs US average
- +13%
- Openings with pay posted
- 1,032
Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley
Based on 1,032 openings.
- 6
Menlo Park CA
$164k
- Median posted pay
- $190k
- Local prices vs US average
- +16%
- Openings with pay posted
- 60
Hiring most here: Snowflake, Robinhood Ventures Fund I, Hippocratic AI
Based on 60 openings.
- 7
Salt Lake City UT
$161k
- Median posted pay
- $159k
- State prices vs US average
- −1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 22
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 22 openings.
- 8
Addison TX
$155k
- Median posted pay
- $150k
- State prices vs US average
- −3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 68
Hiring most here: National Life Group, National Life Insurance Company, Bank of America
Based on 68 openings.
- 9
Jersey City NJ
$153k
- Median posted pay
- $166k
- State prices vs US average
- +9%
- Openings with pay posted
- 32
Hiring most here: DTCC, Verisk Analytics, JPMorgan Chase
Based on 32 openings.
- 10
Brooklyn NY
$152k
- Median posted pay
- $171k
- Local prices vs US average
- +13%
- Openings with pay posted
- 26
Hiring most here: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Williams-Sonoma, Altana AI
Based on 26 openings.
- 11
McLean VA
$150k
- Median posted pay
- $152k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 47
Hiring most here: Capital One, The MITRE, Steampunk
Based on 47 openings.
- 12
San Jose CA
$145k
- Median posted pay
- $160k
- 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.
- 13
Westlake TX
$144k
- Median posted pay
- $140k
- State prices vs US average
- −3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 27
Hiring most here: Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investments, Kiewit Infrastructure South
Based on 27 openings.
- 14
Buffalo NY
$144k
- Median posted pay
- $155k
- State prices vs US average
- +8%
- Openings with pay posted
- 23
Hiring most here: Moog Military Aircraft, University at Buffalo, Moog
Based on 23 openings.
- 15
Chicago IL
$143k
- Median posted pay
- $149k
- Local prices vs US average
- +4%
- Openings with pay posted
- 288
Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential
Based on 288 openings.
- 16
Miami FL
$143k
- Median posted pay
- $164k
- Local prices vs US average
- +14%
- Openings with pay posted
- 27
Hiring most here: University Of Miami, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Princess Cruises / Holland America Line
Based on 27 openings.
- 17
Charlotte NC
$142k
- Median posted pay
- $138k
- Local prices vs US average
- −3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 48
Hiring most here: Truist Financial, Scout Motors, SMBC Americas
Based on 48 openings.
- 18
Austin TX
$142k
- Median posted pay
- $139k
- Local prices vs US average
- −2%
- Openings with pay posted
- 72
Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare
Based on 72 openings.
- 19
Newport Beach CA
$138k
- Median posted pay
- $153k
- State prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 20
Hiring most here: Pacific Life, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Smart Financial Credit Union
Based on 20 openings.
- 20
Boston MA
$138k
- Median posted pay
- $149k
- Local prices vs US average
- +8%
- Openings with pay posted
- 147
Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential
Based on 147 openings.
- 21
Los Angeles CA
$137k
- Median posted pay
- $155k
- Local prices vs US average
- +14%
- Openings with pay posted
- 106
Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space
Based on 106 openings.
- 22
Atlanta GA
$135k
- Median posted pay
- $135k
- Local prices vs US average
- +0%
- Openings with pay posted
- 93
Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent
Based on 93 openings.
- 23
Dallas TX
$132k
- Median posted pay
- $136k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 49
Hiring most here: Amazon, Shield AI, Texas Instruments
Based on 49 openings.
- 24
Minneapolis MN
$130k
- Median posted pay
- $136k
- Local prices vs US average
- +5%
- Openings with pay posted
- 48
Hiring most here: Mortenson, Target ALS Foundation, Ameriprise Certificate
Based on 48 openings.
- 25
New York NY
$127k
- Median posted pay
- $143k
- Local prices vs US average
- +13%
- Openings with pay posted
- 94
Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley
Based on 94 openings.
Full ranking
All 33 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco CA | $173k | 396 |
| 2 | Mc Lean VA | $171k | 29 |
| 3 | Washington DC | $166k | 53 |
| 4 | Seattle WA | $166k | 62 |
| 5 | New York NY | $164k | 1,032 |
| 6 | Menlo Park CA | $164k | 60 |
| 7 | Salt Lake City UT | $161k | 22 |
| 8 | Addison TX | $155k | 68 |
| 9 | Jersey City NJ | $153k | 32 |
| 10 | Brooklyn NY | $152k | 26 |
| 11 | McLean VA | $150k | 47 |
| 12 | San Jose CA | $145k | 21 |
| 13 | Westlake TX | $144k | 27 |
| 14 | Buffalo NY | $144k | 23 |
| 15 | Chicago IL | $143k | 288 |
| 16 | Miami FL | $143k | 27 |
| 17 | Charlotte NC | $142k | 48 |
| 18 | Austin TX | $142k | 72 |
| 19 | Newport Beach CA | $138k | 20 |
| 20 | Boston MA | $138k | 147 |
| 21 | Los Angeles CA | $137k | 106 |
| 22 | Atlanta GA | $135k | 93 |
| 23 | Dallas TX | $132k | 49 |
| 24 | Minneapolis MN | $130k | 48 |
| 25 | New York NY | $127k | 94 |
| 26 | Rockville MD | $124k | 21 |
| 27 | Columbus OH | $120k | 34 |
| 28 | Louisville KY | $119k | 33 |
| 29 | Kansas City MO | $119k | 20 |
| 30 | Houston TX | $114k | 20 |
| 31 | Tampa FL | $114k | 32 |
| 32 | Phoenix AZ | $99k | 22 |
| 33 | San Diego CA | $96k | 24 |
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 financial services pay after cost of living?
- San Francisco leads the United States for pay after the cost of living in this industry: its median posted salary buys what $173k buys at average US prices.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 33 cities have at least 30 openings with pay posted, so the list has 33 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 financial services pay after cost of living,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-financial-services-pay-vs-cost-of-living
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-financial-services-pay-vs-cost-of-living">Best cities for financial services 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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