Best cities for professional services 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 Austin, TX: $168k
- #2 Louisville, KY: $155k
- #3 Boston, MA: $142k
- 25 cities ranked in the United States
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $133k across the typical city in our data.
- 1Austin TX$168k
- 2Louisville KY$155k
- 3Boston MA$142k
- 4Dallas TX$138k
- 5Minneapolis MN$138k
- 6Philadelphia PA$136k
- 7Atlanta GA$135k
- 8Chicago IL$135k
- 9Los Angeles CA$134k
- 10San Francisco CA$132k
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Austin leads on $168k, and #10 San Francisco is at $132k.
- Minneapolis reaches #5 on a sample of 24 openings with pay posted, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Chicago is the largest market in the top ten, with 214 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
Austin TX
$168k
- Median posted pay
- $165k
- Local prices vs US average
- −2%
- Openings with pay posted
- 46
Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare
Based on 46 openings.
- 2
Louisville KY
$155k
- Median posted pay
- $140k
- State prices vs US average
- −10%
- Openings with pay posted
- 62
Hiring most here: BrightSpring Health Services, Norton Healthcare, GE Appliances
Based on 62 openings.
- 3
Boston MA
$142k
- Median posted pay
- $154k
- Local prices vs US average
- +8%
- Openings with pay posted
- 54
Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential
Based on 54 openings.
- 4
Dallas TX
$138k
- Median posted pay
- $143k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 74
Hiring most here: Amazon, Shield AI, Texas Instruments
Based on 74 openings.
- 5
Minneapolis MN
$138k
- Median posted pay
- $145k
- Local prices vs US average
- +5%
- Openings with pay posted
- 24
Hiring most here: Mortenson, Target ALS Foundation, Ameriprise Certificate
Based on 24 openings.
- 6
Philadelphia PA
$136k
- Median posted pay
- $140k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 30
Hiring most here: Confidential, GSK, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Based on 30 openings.
- 7
Atlanta GA
$135k
- Median posted pay
- $135k
- Local prices vs US average
- +0%
- Openings with pay posted
- 105
Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent
Based on 105 openings.
- 8
Chicago IL
$135k
- Median posted pay
- $140k
- Local prices vs US average
- +4%
- Openings with pay posted
- 214
Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential
Based on 214 openings.
- 9
Los Angeles CA
$134k
- Median posted pay
- $153k
- Local prices vs US average
- +14%
- Openings with pay posted
- 98
Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space
Based on 98 openings.
- 10
San Francisco CA
$132k
- Median posted pay
- $153k
- Local prices vs US average
- +16%
- Openings with pay posted
- 66
Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation
Based on 66 openings.
- 11
Seattle WA
$130k
- Median posted pay
- $145k
- Local prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 36
Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI
Based on 36 openings.
- 12
Cleveland OH
$130k
- Median posted pay
- $121k
- State prices vs US average
- −7%
- Openings with pay posted
- 28
Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank
Based on 28 openings.
- 13
Pittsburgh PA
$130k
- Median posted pay
- $123k
- Local prices vs US average
- −5%
- Openings with pay posted
- 20
Hiring most here: PNC Financial Services Group, Highmark Health, UPMC
Based on 20 openings.
- 14
Charlotte NC
$129k
- Median posted pay
- $126k
- Local prices vs US average
- −3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 30
Hiring most here: Truist Financial, Scout Motors, SMBC Americas
Based on 30 openings.
- 15
Tampa FL
$129k
- Median posted pay
- $130k
- Local prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 31
Hiring most here: DTCC, University of South Florida, Tampa Electric
Based on 31 openings.
- 16
Sacramento CA
$127k
- Median posted pay
- $136k
- Local prices vs US average
- +7%
- Openings with pay posted
- 36
Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, Nalu Medical
Based on 36 openings.
- 17
Irvine CA
$125k
- Median posted pay
- $138k
- State prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 22
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Field AI, Rivian Automotive
Based on 22 openings.
- 18
New York NY
$122k
- Median posted pay
- $138k
- Local prices vs US average
- +13%
- Openings with pay posted
- 31
Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley
Based on 31 openings.
- 19
Washington DC
$120k
- Median posted pay
- $130k
- Local prices vs US average
- +9%
- Openings with pay posted
- 73
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, CACI International, Shield AI
Based on 73 openings.
- 20
New York NY
$119k
- Median posted pay
- $134k
- Local prices vs US average
- +13%
- Openings with pay posted
- 246
Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley
Based on 246 openings.
- 21
Raleigh NC
$119k
- Median posted pay
- $112k
- State prices vs US average
- −6%
- Openings with pay posted
- 20
Hiring most here: First Citizens Bank, Dewberry, MaintainX
Based on 20 openings.
- 22
Denver CO
$117k
- Median posted pay
- $123k
- Local prices vs US average
- +6%
- Openings with pay posted
- 53
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 53 openings.
- 23
Houston TX
$115k
- Median posted pay
- $114k
- Local prices vs US average
- −1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 43
Hiring most here: Axiom Space, Trinzic, Fervo Energy
Based on 43 openings.
- 24
San Diego CA
$114k
- Median posted pay
- $127k
- Local prices vs US average
- +12%
- Openings with pay posted
- 24
Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics
Based on 24 openings.
- 25
Columbus OH
$105k
- Median posted pay
- $100k
- Local prices vs US average
- −5%
- Openings with pay posted
- 21
Hiring most here: State of Ohio, Nationwide, Ohio State University-Newark Campus
Based on 21 openings.
Full ranking
All 25 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin TX | $168k | 46 |
| 2 | Louisville KY | $155k | 62 |
| 3 | Boston MA | $142k | 54 |
| 4 | Dallas TX | $138k | 74 |
| 5 | Minneapolis MN | $138k | 24 |
| 6 | Philadelphia PA | $136k | 30 |
| 7 | Atlanta GA | $135k | 105 |
| 8 | Chicago IL | $135k | 214 |
| 9 | Los Angeles CA | $134k | 98 |
| 10 | San Francisco CA | $132k | 66 |
| 11 | Seattle WA | $130k | 36 |
| 12 | Cleveland OH | $130k | 28 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh PA | $130k | 20 |
| 14 | Charlotte NC | $129k | 30 |
| 15 | Tampa FL | $129k | 31 |
| 16 | Sacramento CA | $127k | 36 |
| 17 | Irvine CA | $125k | 22 |
| 18 | New York NY | $122k | 31 |
| 19 | Washington DC | $120k | 73 |
| 20 | New York NY | $119k | 246 |
| 21 | Raleigh NC | $119k | 20 |
| 22 | Denver CO | $117k | 53 |
| 23 | Houston TX | $115k | 43 |
| 24 | San Diego CA | $114k | 24 |
| 25 | Columbus OH | $105k | 21 |
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 professional services pay after cost of living?
- Austin leads the United States for pay after the cost of living in this industry: its median posted salary buys what $168k buys at average US prices.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 25 cities have at least 30 openings with pay posted, so the list has 25 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 professional services pay after cost of living,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-professional-services-pay-vs-cost-of-living
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-professional-services-pay-vs-cost-of-living">Best cities for professional 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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