Jobs and wages by city
Median earnings, unemployment, labor force participation and industry mix for 94 US metros. 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates.
Quick answer
San Francisco has the highest median earnings among covered metros at $82,931 a year; Burlington the lowest at $24,972. The national median for workers with earnings is $44,587, with a 5.2% unemployment rate.
Every covered metro
Sorted by median earnings, highest first.
| City | Median earnings | Unemployment | Employed | Leading industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $82,931 | 5.6% | 484,966 | Professional, scientific & management |
| Seattle, WA | $73,320 | 4.2% | 458,840 | Professional, scientific & management |
| Jersey City, NJ | $65,805 | 5.8% | 157,108 | Professional, scientific & management |
| San Jose, CA | $61,675 | 4.7% | 522,185 | Professional, scientific & management |
| Denver, CO | $58,097 | 4.6% | 421,609 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Oakland, CA | $57,104 | 6% | 232,417 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Chandler, AZ | $56,670 | 3.6% | 151,526 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Boston, MA | $55,909 | 6% | 379,153 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Atlanta, GA | $55,760 | 5.9% | 268,973 | Professional, scientific & management |
| Austin, TX | $54,283 | 4.5% | 578,459 | Professional, scientific & management |
| San Diego, CA | $53,870 | 5.9% | 704,823 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Charleston, SC | $52,100 | 3.4% | 82,809 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Portland, OR | $51,493 | 5.5% | 365,377 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Juneau, AK | $51,000 | 4% | 16,486 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Henderson, NV | $50,700 | 6.7% | 148,309 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Anchorage, AK | $50,617 | 4.6% | 141,941 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| New York City, NY | $50,450 | 7.7% | 4,070,496 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Chicago, IL | $49,320 | 7.9% | 1,382,634 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $48,905 | 4.3% | 223,094 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Minneapolis, MN | $48,032 | 5.7% | 245,178 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Raleigh, NC | $47,892 | 4.5% | 259,964 | Professional, scientific & management |
| Charlotte, NC | $47,587 | 4.4% | 487,094 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Sacramento, CA | $47,441 | 6.2% | 257,517 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Portland, ME | $47,144 | 4.4% | 39,590 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Honolulu, HI | $47,112 | 5% | 174,598 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Cheyenne, WY | $46,959 | 3.1% | 33,109 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Baltimore, MD | $46,487 | 6.6% | 273,015 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Nashville, TN | $46,069 | 4.6% | 382,774 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Manchester, NH | $45,984 | 3.8% | 67,182 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| St. Petersburg, FL | $45,729 | 4.9% | 136,620 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Tampa, FL | $45,480 | 4.7% | 200,727 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Aurora, CO | $45,034 | 5.7% | 205,567 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Sioux Falls, SD | $44,978 | 2.3% | 111,455 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $44,792 | 5.5% | 239,483 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Long Beach, CA | $44,746 | 6.5% | 234,334 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Kansas City, MO | $44,162 | 4.7% | 265,627 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Mesa, AZ | $43,958 | 4.6% | 250,301 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Omaha, NE | $43,930 | 4.2% | 253,542 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| St. Paul, MN | $43,583 | 4.9% | 162,708 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Phoenix, AZ | $43,488 | 5.1% | 824,783 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Fort Worth, TX | $43,229 | 4.9% | 466,872 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Dallas, TX | $42,987 | 4.9% | 666,361 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Little Rock, AR | $42,963 | 4.2% | 96,736 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $42,718 | 3.8% | 121,274 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Reno, NV | $42,625 | 5% | 140,759 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Philadelphia, PA | $42,478 | 8.4% | 741,315 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Orlando, FL | $42,355 | 5.3% | 169,869 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Boise, ID | $42,312 | 3.8% | 130,028 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Los Angeles, CA | $41,828 | 7.9% | 1,954,823 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Billings, MT | $41,705 | 3.5% | 60,423 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Columbus, OH | $41,686 | 5.1% | 485,878 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Jacksonville, FL | $41,276 | 4.6% | 462,943 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Des Moines, IA | $41,192 | 5.7% | 112,654 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Wilmington, DE | $41,154 | 7.6% | 34,824 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Richmond, VA | $41,143 | 6% | 122,683 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Louisville, KY | $41,125 | 5% | 311,836 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $41,090 | 4.7% | 339,036 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $40,907 | 5.9% | 160,368 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Las Vegas, NV | $40,905 | 7.2% | 299,387 | Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation & food |
| Charleston, WV | $40,893 | 6.3% | 22,025 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Indianapolis, IN | $40,866 | 5.2% | 441,777 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Anaheim, CA | $40,835 | 5.5% | 174,640 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Albuquerque, NM | $40,757 | 5.3% | 278,308 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Fargo, ND | $40,544 | 3.9% | 76,042 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Spokane, WA | $40,334 | 6% | 109,337 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Riverside, CA | $40,231 | 6% | 152,270 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Chattanooga, TN | $40,081 | 4.9% | 90,692 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Bakersfield, CA | $39,919 | 7% | 174,687 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Houston, TX | $39,664 | 6.7% | 1,136,791 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Arlington, TX | $39,549 | 5.7% | 203,268 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| New Orleans, LA | $39,038 | 7.8% | 174,022 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Wichita, KS | $38,715 | 5.7% | 191,412 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Miami, FL | $38,075 | 5% | 240,964 | Professional, scientific & management |
| Fresno, CA | $37,712 | 8.7% | 232,820 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Providence, RI | $37,429 | 7.4% | 93,035 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Cincinnati, OH | $37,395 | 6.8% | 155,077 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Tulsa, OK | $37,238 | 6.1% | 196,427 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| San Antonio, TX | $36,669 | 5.8% | 701,332 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Memphis, TN | $36,624 | 8.3% | 285,097 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Milwaukee, WI | $36,574 | 5.9% | 264,398 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Greensboro, NC | $35,818 | 5.1% | 148,550 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Bridgeport, CT | $35,680 | 8.9% | 72,741 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Newark, NJ | $34,866 | 10.9% | 132,414 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Hartford, CT | $34,003 | 10.6% | 53,938 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Tucson, AZ | $33,866 | 6.4% | 255,011 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Birmingham, AL | $33,773 | 6.1% | 90,956 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Toledo, OH | $33,486 | 8.5% | 120,637 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Knoxville, TN | $33,286 | 4.4% | 98,269 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| El Paso, TX | $33,141 | 6.2% | 297,488 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Cleveland, OH | $32,936 | 11.5% | 158,228 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Detroit, MI | $31,656 | 14.1% | 231,581 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $31,571 | 9.1% | 101,862 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Jackson, MS | $30,096 | 9.4% | 64,467 | Education, health care & social assistance |
| Burlington, VT | $24,972 | 4.6% | 24,758 | Education, health care & social assistance |
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
Earnings only mean something next to costs — see cost of living by metro and the overtime tax calculator · salary needed calculator.