Best cities for government 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 Chicago, IL: $146k
- #2 San Francisco, CA: $143k
- #3 Arlington, VA: $140k
- 18 cities ranked in the United States
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $126k across the typical city in our data.
- 1Chicago IL$146k
- 2San Francisco CA$143k
- 3Arlington VA$140k
- 4Alexandria VA$139k
- 5Fort Meade MD$137k
- 6Denver CO$137k
- 7Washington DC$132k
- 8Los Angeles CA$125k
- 9Salt Lake City UT$124k
- 10Norfolk VA$123k
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Chicago leads on $146k, and #10 Norfolk is at $123k.
- Washington is the largest market in the top ten, with 416 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
Chicago IL
$146k
- Median posted pay
- $151k
- Local prices vs US average
- +4%
- Openings with pay posted
- 31
Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential
Based on 31 openings.
- 2
San Francisco CA
$143k
- Median posted pay
- $165k
- Local prices vs US average
- +16%
- Openings with pay posted
- 60
Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation
Based on 60 openings.
- 3
Arlington VA
$140k
- Median posted pay
- $142k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 72
Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Bloomberg Industry Group
Based on 72 openings.
- 4
Alexandria VA
$139k
- Median posted pay
- $140k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 42
Hiring most here: Kearney, Patent and Trademark Office, Analytic Services (ANSER)
Based on 42 openings.
- 5
Fort Meade MD
$137k
- Median posted pay
- $144k
- State prices vs US average
- +5%
- Openings with pay posted
- 26
Hiring most here: Peraton, CACI International, HII Mission Technologies
Based on 26 openings.
- 6
Denver CO
$137k
- Median posted pay
- $145k
- Local prices vs US average
- +6%
- Openings with pay posted
- 31
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 31 openings.
- 7
Washington DC
$132k
- Median posted pay
- $144k
- Local prices vs US average
- +9%
- Openings with pay posted
- 416
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, CACI International, Shield AI
Based on 416 openings.
- 8
Los Angeles CA
$125k
- Median posted pay
- $143k
- Local prices vs US average
- +14%
- Openings with pay posted
- 45
Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space
Based on 45 openings.
- 9
Salt Lake City UT
$124k
- Median posted pay
- $123k
- State prices vs US average
- −1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 50
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 50 openings.
- 10
Norfolk VA
$123k
- Median posted pay
- $124k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 25
Hiring most here: Commonwealth of Virginia, Seacorp, United States Fleet Forces Command
Based on 25 openings.
- 11
St. Louis MO
$123k
- Median posted pay
- $117k
- Local prices vs US average
- −5%
- Openings with pay posted
- 20
Hiring most here: Stifel Charitable, BJC HealthCare, Kforce
Based on 20 openings.
- 12
Anchorage AK
$116k
- Median posted pay
- $119k
- State prices vs US average
- +2%
- Openings with pay posted
- 26
Hiring most here: Doyon Management Services, GCI, Providence Health & Services Washington
Based on 26 openings.
- 13
Atlanta GA
$109k
- Median posted pay
- $109k
- Local prices vs US average
- +0%
- Openings with pay posted
- 31
Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent
Based on 31 openings.
- 14
Portland OR
$105k
- Median posted pay
- $111k
- Local prices vs US average
- +5%
- Openings with pay posted
- 25
Hiring most here: Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Keen Footwear
Based on 25 openings.
- 15
San Diego CA
$105k
- Median posted pay
- $118k
- Local prices vs US average
- +12%
- Openings with pay posted
- 38
Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics
Based on 38 openings.
- 16
Albany NY
$95k
- Median posted pay
- $103k
- State prices vs US average
- +8%
- Openings with pay posted
- 27
Hiring most here: KPMG, New York State, Broadview Credit Union
Based on 27 openings.
- 17
New York NY
$90k
- Median posted pay
- $101k
- Local prices vs US average
- +13%
- Openings with pay posted
- 489
Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley
Based on 489 openings.
- 18
Phoenix AZ
$89k
- Median posted pay
- $92k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 34
Hiring most here: Honeywell Aerospace, State of Arizona, American Society for Microbiology
Based on 34 openings.
Full ranking
All 18 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago IL | $146k | 31 |
| 2 | San Francisco CA | $143k | 60 |
| 3 | Arlington VA | $140k | 72 |
| 4 | Alexandria VA | $139k | 42 |
| 5 | Fort Meade MD | $137k | 26 |
| 6 | Denver CO | $137k | 31 |
| 7 | Washington DC | $132k | 416 |
| 8 | Los Angeles CA | $125k | 45 |
| 9 | Salt Lake City UT | $124k | 50 |
| 10 | Norfolk VA | $123k | 25 |
| 11 | St. Louis MO | $123k | 20 |
| 12 | Anchorage AK | $116k | 26 |
| 13 | Atlanta GA | $109k | 31 |
| 14 | Portland OR | $105k | 25 |
| 15 | San Diego CA | $105k | 38 |
| 16 | Albany NY | $95k | 27 |
| 17 | New York NY | $90k | 489 |
| 18 | Phoenix AZ | $89k | 34 |
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 government pay after cost of living?
- Chicago leads the United States for pay after the cost of living in this industry: its median posted salary buys what $146k buys at average US prices.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 18 cities have at least 30 openings with pay posted, so the list has 18 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 government pay after cost of living,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-government-pay-vs-cost-of-living
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-government-pay-vs-cost-of-living">Best cities for government 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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