Best cities for life sciences and biotech jobs
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 Boston, MA: 793 openings
- #2 Cambridge, MA: 579 openings
- #3 San Diego, CA: 454 openings
- 41 cities ranked in the United States
- Data as of November 2026
- 1Boston MA793 openings
- 2Cambridge MA579 openings
- 3San Diego CA454 openings
- 4New York NY266 openings
- 5San Francisco CA215 openings
- 6Foster CA190 openings
- 7Cincinnati OH174 openings
- 8Indianapolis IN163 openings
- 9Princeton NJ162 openings
- 10Waltham MA132 openings
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Boston (793 openings) is well clear of Waltham at #10 (132 openings).
- Boston is the largest market in the top ten, with 793 openings behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 50 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Each industry hires in a different set of cities. Counting an industry's open roles by city shows where its demand is deepest, which is where its employers, recruiters and professional events are concentrated.
How to use it
If you work in this industry, look at the top cities for the employers to follow and the networks to join. A large market also means more competition, so read it with the pay list for the same industry.
The top 25
- 1
Boston MA
793 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 15%
- Median posted pay
- $225k
- All openings in the city
- 5,143
Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential
Based on 793 openings.
- 2
Cambridge MA
579 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 51%
- Median posted pay
- $218k
- All openings in the city
- 1,141
Hiring most here: Harvard University, Biogen, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Based on 579 openings.
- 3
San Diego CA
454 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 15%
- Median posted pay
- $178k
- All openings in the city
- 3,085
Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics
Based on 454 openings.
- 4
New York NY
266 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 1%
- Median posted pay
- $187k
- All openings in the city
- 20,589
Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley
Based on 266 openings.
- 5
San Francisco CA
215 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 2%
- Median posted pay
- $205k
- All openings in the city
- 11,798
Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation
Based on 215 openings.
- 6
Foster CA
190 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 543%
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings in the city
- 35
Hiring most here: Gilead Sciences
Based on 190 openings.
- 7
Cincinnati OH
174 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 13%
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings in the city
- 1,379
Hiring most here: Medpace Holdings, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Procter & Gamble
Based on 174 openings.
- 8
Indianapolis IN
163 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 11%
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings in the city
- 1,422
Hiring most here: Eli Lilly and Company, State of Indiana, Masco
Based on 163 openings.
- 9
Princeton NJ
162 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 41%
- Median posted pay
- $230k
- All openings in the city
- 396
Hiring most here: Genmab A/S, Otsuka, ZS Associates
Based on 162 openings.
- 10
Waltham MA
132 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 23%
- Median posted pay
- $234k
- All openings in the city
- 583
Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry
Based on 132 openings.
- 11
Philadelphia PA
119 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 7%
- Median posted pay
- $180k
- All openings in the city
- 1,820
Hiring most here: Confidential, GSK, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Based on 119 openings.
- 12
Chicago IL
108 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 1%
- Median posted pay
- $140k
- All openings in the city
- 7,607
Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential
Based on 108 openings.
- 13
Austin TX
105 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 2%
- Median posted pay
- $154k
- All openings in the city
- 5,903
Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare
Based on 105 openings.
- 14
Irvine CA
100 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 7%
- Median posted pay
- $133k
- All openings in the city
- 1,503
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Field AI, Rivian Automotive
Based on 100 openings.
- 15
Los Angeles CA
100 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 2%
- Median posted pay
- $141k
- All openings in the city
- 5,126
Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space
Based on 100 openings.
- 16
Atlanta GA
98 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 2%
- Median posted pay
- $151k
- All openings in the city
- 5,566
Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent
Based on 98 openings.
- 17
Durham NC
98 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 13%
- Median posted pay
- $142k
- All openings in the city
- 776
Hiring most here: Duke University, Duke Health Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, GSK
Based on 98 openings.
- 18
Redwood City CA
85 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 18%
- Median posted pay
- $190k
- All openings in the city
- 471
Hiring most here: Corcept Therapeutics, SB Energy, C3 AI
Based on 85 openings.
- 19
Gaithersburg MD
82 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 45%
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings in the city
- 184
Hiring most here: Astrazeneca, Adventist Healthcare, Leidos
Based on 82 openings.
- 20
Lexington MA
80 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 31%
- Median posted pay
- $192k
- All openings in the city
- 255
Hiring most here: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab), Takeda Development Center Americas, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International
Based on 80 openings.
- 21
Minneapolis MN
80 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 6%
- Median posted pay
- $127k
- All openings in the city
- 1,276
Hiring most here: Mortenson, Target ALS Foundation, Ameriprise Certificate
Based on 80 openings.
- 22
Columbus OH
75 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 4%
- Median posted pay
- $159k
- All openings in the city
- 1,892
Hiring most here: State of Ohio, Nationwide, Ohio State University-Newark Campus
Based on 75 openings.
- 23
Houston TX
73 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 2%
- Median posted pay
- $183k
- All openings in the city
- 4,330
Hiring most here: Axiom Space, Trinzic, Fervo Energy
Based on 73 openings.
- 24
Raleigh NC
73 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 5%
- Median posted pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings in the city
- 1,427
Hiring most here: First Citizens Bank, Dewberry, MaintainX
Based on 73 openings.
- 25
Seattle WA
72 openings
- Share of the city's openings
- 1%
- Median posted pay
- $146k
- All openings in the city
- 5,343
Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI
Based on 72 openings.
Full ranking
All 41 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston MA | 793 openings | 793 |
| 2 | Cambridge MA | 579 openings | 579 |
| 3 | San Diego CA | 454 openings | 454 |
| 4 | New York NY | 266 openings | 266 |
| 5 | San Francisco CA | 215 openings | 215 |
| 6 | Foster CA | 190 openings | 190 |
| 7 | Cincinnati OH | 174 openings | 174 |
| 8 | Indianapolis IN | 163 openings | 163 |
| 9 | Princeton NJ | 162 openings | 162 |
| 10 | Waltham MA | 132 openings | 132 |
| 11 | Philadelphia PA | 119 openings | 119 |
| 12 | Chicago IL | 108 openings | 108 |
| 13 | Austin TX | 105 openings | 105 |
| 14 | Irvine CA | 100 openings | 100 |
| 15 | Los Angeles CA | 100 openings | 100 |
| 16 | Atlanta GA | 98 openings | 98 |
| 17 | Durham NC | 98 openings | 98 |
| 18 | Redwood City CA | 85 openings | 85 |
| 19 | Gaithersburg MD | 82 openings | 82 |
| 20 | Lexington MA | 80 openings | 80 |
| 21 | Minneapolis MN | 80 openings | 80 |
| 22 | Columbus OH | 75 openings | 75 |
| 23 | Houston TX | 73 openings | 73 |
| 24 | Raleigh NC | 73 openings | 73 |
| 25 | Seattle WA | 72 openings | 72 |
| 26 | Dallas TX | 71 openings | 71 |
| 27 | Wilmington DE | 70 openings | 70 |
| 28 | Alameda CA | 69 openings | 69 |
| 29 | Fort Worth TX | 69 openings | 69 |
| 30 | Sacramento CA | 66 openings | 66 |
| 31 | Watertown MA | 64 openings | 64 |
| 32 | Denver CO | 63 openings | 63 |
| 33 | Rockville MD | 62 openings | 62 |
| 34 | Madison WI | 58 openings | 58 |
| 35 | Bedford MA | 56 openings | 56 |
| 36 | Somerville MA | 56 openings | 56 |
| 37 | Naples FL | 55 openings | 55 |
| 38 | Bridgewater NJ | 54 openings | 54 |
| 39 | Norwood MA | 54 openings | 54 |
| 40 | Palo Alto CA | 52 openings | 52 |
| 41 | Washington DC | 52 openings | 52 |
How this ranking works
A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles at employers in this industry, as classed by the crawler from the employer. Median pay uses only listings that post a salary, shown where at least 8 do.
Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.
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 50 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 life sciences and biotech jobs?
- Boston has the most openings in this industry in the United States: 793 openings.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 41 cities have at least 50 openings, so the list has 41 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles at employers in this industry, as classed by the crawler from the employer. Median pay uses only listings that post a salary, shown where at least 8 do. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. 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 life sciences and biotech jobs,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-life-sciences-and-biotech-jobs
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-life-sciences-and-biotech-jobs">Best cities for life sciences and biotech jobs (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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