Best cities for operations pay after cost of living
Key facts
- #1 Reston, VA: $177k
- #2 Santa Clara, CA: $173k
- #3 Cambridge, MA: $163k
- 41 cities ranked in the United States
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $129k across the typical city in our data.
- 1Reston VA$177k
- 2Santa Clara CA$173k
- 3Cambridge MA$163k
- 4San Mateo CA$162k
- 5Austin TX$160k
- 6Mountain View CA$160k
- 7Sunnyvale CA$152k
- 8Indianapolis IN$150k
- 9San Jose CA$149k
- 10San Francisco CA$144k
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Reston leads on $177k, and #10 San Francisco is at $144k.
- San Francisco is the largest market in the top ten, with 270 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.
The top 25
- 1
Reston VA
$177k
- Median posted pay
- $179k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 20
Hiring most here: ICF International, CACI International, Anduril Industries
Based on 20 openings.
- 2
Santa Clara CA
$173k
- Median posted pay
- $192k
- State prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 32
Hiring most here: Pure Storage, Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon
Based on 32 openings.
- 3
Cambridge MA
$163k
- Median posted pay
- $173k
- State prices vs US average
- +6%
- Openings with pay posted
- 25
Hiring most here: The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Harvard University, Biogen
Based on 25 openings.
- 4
San Mateo CA
$162k
- Median posted pay
- $187k
- Local prices vs US average
- +16%
- Openings with pay posted
- 25
Hiring most here: Roblox, Verkada, Skydio
Based on 25 openings.
- 5
Austin TX
$160k
- Median posted pay
- $157k
- Local prices vs US average
- −2%
- Openings with pay posted
- 86
Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare
Based on 86 openings.
- 6
Mountain View CA
$160k
- Median posted pay
- $176k
- Local prices vs US average
- +10%
- Openings with pay posted
- 26
Hiring most here: Intuit, Waymo, Google
Based on 26 openings.
- 7
Sunnyvale CA
$152k
- Median posted pay
- $169k
- State prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 24
Hiring most here: Applied Intuition, Wayve, Amazon
Based on 24 openings.
- 8
Indianapolis IN
$150k
- Median posted pay
- $140k
- State prices vs US average
- −7%
- Openings with pay posted
- 20
Hiring most here: Eli Lilly and Company, State of Indiana, Masco
Based on 20 openings.
- 9
San Jose CA
$149k
- Median posted pay
- $165k
- Local prices vs US average
- +10%
- Openings with pay posted
- 43
Hiring most here: Super Micro Computer, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems
Based on 43 openings.
- 10
San Francisco CA
$144k
- Median posted pay
- $167k
- Local prices vs US average
- +16%
- Openings with pay posted
- 270
Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation
Based on 270 openings.
- 11
Torrance CA
$138k
- Median posted pay
- $153k
- State prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 32
Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros
Based on 32 openings.
- 12
Houston TX
$135k
- Median posted pay
- $133k
- Local prices vs US average
- −1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 47
Hiring most here: Axiom Space, Trinzic, Fervo Energy
Based on 47 openings.
- 13
Arlington VA
$134k
- Median posted pay
- $135k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 32
Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Bloomberg Industry Group
Based on 32 openings.
- 14
Dallas TX
$132k
- Median posted pay
- $137k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 61
Hiring most here: Amazon, Shield AI, Texas Instruments
Based on 61 openings.
- 15
Phoenix AZ
$132k
- Median posted pay
- $136k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 41
Hiring most here: Honeywell Aerospace, State of Arizona, American Society for Microbiology
Based on 41 openings.
- 16
Long Beach CA
$131k
- Median posted pay
- $145k
- State prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 37
Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast
Based on 37 openings.
- 17
Boston MA
$130k
- Median posted pay
- $141k
- Local prices vs US average
- +8%
- Openings with pay posted
- 97
Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential
Based on 97 openings.
- 18
Sacramento CA
$130k
- Median posted pay
- $139k
- Local prices vs US average
- +7%
- Openings with pay posted
- 53
Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, Nalu Medical
Based on 53 openings.
- 19
Atlanta GA
$129k
- Median posted pay
- $129k
- Local prices vs US average
- +0%
- Openings with pay posted
- 51
Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent
Based on 51 openings.
- 20
El Segundo CA
$128k
- Median posted pay
- $142k
- State prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 30
Hiring most here: Chaos Industries, Radiant, Varda Space Industries
Based on 30 openings.
- 21
Washington DC
$127k
- Median posted pay
- $138k
- Local prices vs US average
- +9%
- Openings with pay posted
- 88
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Shield AI, CACI International
Based on 88 openings.
- 22
Alexandria VA
$126k
- Median posted pay
- $128k
- State prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 25
Hiring most here: Kearney, Patent and Trademark Office, Analytic Services (ANSER)
Based on 25 openings.
- 23
San Diego CA
$126k
- Median posted pay
- $141k
- Local prices vs US average
- +12%
- Openings with pay posted
- 56
Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics
Based on 56 openings.
- 24
Seattle WA
$125k
- Median posted pay
- $139k
- Local prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 66
Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI
Based on 66 openings.
- 25
Chicago IL
$123k
- Median posted pay
- $128k
- Local prices vs US average
- +4%
- Openings with pay posted
- 143
Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential
Based on 143 openings.
Full ranking
All 41 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reston VA | $177k | 20 |
| 2 | Santa Clara CA | $173k | 32 |
| 3 | Cambridge MA | $163k | 25 |
| 4 | San Mateo CA | $162k | 25 |
| 5 | Austin TX | $160k | 86 |
| 6 | Mountain View CA | $160k | 26 |
| 7 | Sunnyvale CA | $152k | 24 |
| 8 | Indianapolis IN | $150k | 20 |
| 9 | San Jose CA | $149k | 43 |
| 10 | San Francisco CA | $144k | 270 |
| 11 | Torrance CA | $138k | 32 |
| 12 | Houston TX | $135k | 47 |
| 13 | Arlington VA | $134k | 32 |
| 14 | Dallas TX | $132k | 61 |
| 15 | Phoenix AZ | $132k | 41 |
| 16 | Long Beach CA | $131k | 37 |
| 17 | Boston MA | $130k | 97 |
| 18 | Sacramento CA | $130k | 53 |
| 19 | Atlanta GA | $129k | 51 |
| 20 | El Segundo CA | $128k | 30 |
| 21 | Washington DC | $127k | 88 |
| 22 | Alexandria VA | $126k | 25 |
| 23 | San Diego CA | $126k | 56 |
| 24 | Seattle WA | $125k | 66 |
| 25 | Chicago IL | $123k | 143 |
| 26 | Los Angeles CA | $122k | 131 |
| 27 | Somerville MA | $121k | 20 |
| 28 | Columbus OH | $120k | 37 |
| 29 | New York NY | $120k | 491 |
| 30 | Brooklyn NY | $120k | 28 |
| 31 | Denver CO | $118k | 82 |
| 32 | Charlotte NC | $118k | 47 |
| 33 | Irvine CA | $117k | 31 |
| 34 | Philadelphia PA | $113k | 24 |
| 35 | New York NY | $107k | 37 |
| 36 | Minneapolis MN | $101k | 21 |
| 37 | Fort Worth TX | $98k | 25 |
| 38 | Miami FL | $96k | 23 |
| 39 | Raleigh NC | $94k | 20 |
| 40 | Louisville KY | $94k | 65 |
| 41 | Tampa FL | $80k | 22 |
How this ranking works
The score is the median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) for this job family 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 family 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 operations pay after cost of living?
- Reston leads the United States for pay after the cost of living in this job family: its median posted salary buys what $177k buys at average US prices.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 41 cities have at least 30 openings with pay posted, so the list has 41 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- The score is the median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) for this job family 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 family 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 operations pay after cost of living,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-operations-pay-vs-cost-of-living
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-operations-pay-vs-cost-of-living">Best cities for operations pay after cost of living (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
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