Highest Paying Cities in the U.S. (2026 Data)

Top 15 by average salary

Ranking: average annual salary of all jobs in each metro area, BLS OEWS May 2025.

#	Metro area	Average salary	Average salary	Price parity	Home value
1	San Jose, CA	$119,230	$119,230	110.4	$1,610,466
2	San Francisco, CA	$100,220	$100,220	115.6	$1,149,215
3	Washington, DC	$91,930	$91,930	108.9	$583,013
4	Seattle, WA	$91,790	$91,790	111.1	$750,279
5	Boulder, CO	$91,760	$91,760	105.2	$727,954
6	Boston, MA	$89,620	$89,620	108.3	$741,868
7	New York, NY	$86,310	$86,310	112.6	$727,625
8	Bridgeport, CT	$84,700	$84,700	106.9	$689,914
9	Lexington Park, MD	$82,580	$82,580	100.8	$414,100
10	Trenton, NJ	$82,560	$82,560	103.2	$446,377
11	Denver, CO	$81,690	$81,690	105.8	$573,221
12	Rochester, MN	$80,590	$80,590	90.8	$343,121
13	Durham, NC	$79,700	$79,700	97.6	$414,340
14	San Diego, CA	$79,060	$79,060	111.9	$946,365
15	Portland, OR	$78,430	$78,430	105.4	$552,022
16	Los Angeles, CA	$77,270	$77,270	113.6	$968,608
17	Sacramento, CA	$77,150	$77,150	106.7	$582,707
18	Bremerton, WA	$77,020	$77,020	105.6	$586,380
19	Ithaca, NY	$76,980	$76,980	103.3	$353,120
20	Hartford, CT	$76,720	$76,720	102.7	$400,167
21	Baltimore, MD	$76,370	$76,370	104.5	$405,877
22	New Haven, CT	$75,620	$75,620	104.6	$408,096
23	Olympia, WA	$75,470	$75,470	103.7	$533,918
24	Anchorage, AK	$75,180	$75,180	105.4	$422,103
25	Vallejo, CA	$74,900	$74,900	108.5	$576,614

Ranking: average annual salary of all jobs in each metro area, BLS OEWS May 2025.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas.
Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.

Read the full methodology. Spotted an error? Tell us.