Which of the 50 biggest cities have the most job opportunities
for my occupation and education level?
Select an occupation to see where that career is prevalent among the 50 biggest metros, what it pays,
what level of education those workers obtained, and how those details compare to the national average.

Occupation

National average for All Occupations 2010
$45,230

Average salary (2011)
90.5% Margin of Error
± .04%

of workers have completed
at least a high school diploma (or equivalent)
64.3% Margin of Error
± .08%

of workers have completed
at least some college (no degree)
33.7% Margin of Error
± .11%

of workers have completed
at least a bachelor's degree
12.6%Margin of Error
± .13%

of workers have completed
at least a master's degree
Metro rankings

MSA

Metropolitan Statistical Area, made up of a core urban area of 50,000 or more population and adjacent counties that are highly integrated socially and economically with the urban core.

Rank

High-to-low ranking by MSA based on point estimates of share of workers with the selected level of educational attainment.

Share (%)

 

Average salary (2011)

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 2 52.02Margin of Error
± .64
$62,882
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 44 30.53Margin of Error
± 1.51
$42,260
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 42 31.49Margin of Error
± 1.20
$42,090
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 10 41.11Margin of Error
± .94
$54,754
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1 52.42Margin of Error
± 1.14
$69,880
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont-Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, CA 4 46.54Margin of Error
± .76
$60,280
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 14 38.84Margin of Error
± 1.07
$50,350
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 47 29.77Margin of Error
± 1.47
$40,610
Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT 34 33.65Margin of Error
± 1.55
$42,495
St. Louis, MO-IL 22 35.72Margin of Error
± 1.13
$44,210
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, CA 23 35.43Margin of Error
± 1.36
$51,550
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 50 22.64Margin of Error
± 1.21
$43,880
Richmond, VA 19 37.67Margin of Error
± 1.70
$45,280
Raleigh-Cary-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 5 46.13Margin of Error
± 1.34
$48,253
Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA 33 33.74Margin of Error
± 1.83
$45,869
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 18 38.19Margin of Error
± 1.26
$47,600
Pittsburgh, PA 20 36.39Margin of Error
± 1.24
$43,610
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 38 32.66Margin of Error
± 1.01
$44,950
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 16 38.74Margin of Error
± .77
$49,808
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 40 31.74Margin of Error
± 1.31
$39,310
Oklahoma City, OK 36 33.24Margin of Error
± 1.86
$40,380
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA 7 42.84Margin of Error
± .40
$56,203
New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA 46 29.89Margin of Error
± 1.98
$42,100
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN 30 34.96Margin of Error
± 1.51
$41,620
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 8 42.14Margin of Error
± .95
$49,760
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 24 35.40Margin of Error
± 1.47
$45,260
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 35 33.43Margin of Error
± 1.12
$42,773
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 41 31.51Margin of Error
± 1.83
$40,660
Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN 43 31.29Margin of Error
± 1.86
$41,290
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA 24 35.40Margin of Error
± .53
$51,474
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 49 24.04Margin of Error
± 1.48
$41,290
Kansas City, MO-KS 17 38.30Margin of Error
± 1.30
$45,050
Jacksonville, FL 48 29.58Margin of Error
± 1.72
$41,370
Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 28 35.19Margin of Error
± 1.38
$43,520
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 39 32.63Margin of Error
± .81
$47,490
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 9 41.61Margin of Error
± 1.90
$52,920
Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC 45 30.17Margin of Error
± 1.67
$40,618
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI 32 34.41Margin of Error
± .95
$47,499
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 27 35.20Margin of Error
± .76
$46,164
Columbus, OH 14 38.84Margin of Error
± 1.38
$44,310
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH 37 32.71Margin of Error
± 1.29
$43,690
Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN 29 35.13Margin of Error
± 1.38
$43,600
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI 12 40.17Margin of Error
± .59
$48,428
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC 21 35.77Margin of Error
± 1.33
$45,610
Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 31 34.52Margin of Error
± 1.82
$42,520
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH 3 49.00Margin of Error
± .75
$57,683
Birmingham-Hoover, AL 26 35.27Margin of Error
± 1.95
$41,690
Baltimore-Towson, MD 13 39.63Margin of Error
± 1.12
$50,750
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 6 43.28Margin of Error
± 1.37
$47,340
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 11 40.18Margin of Error
± .81
$46,570