Gaining a higher education is always going to be the first step to get a high paying job. People who are willing to pay more for work, are going to be looking for people who are experts in their field. Education along however, isn’t enough to ensure that you are going to be getting the pay that you are looking for. In many cases location is going to pay a huge factor in your job. Being able to situate yourself in a city that has been seeing an increase in the amount of high paying gigs available will give you an advantage that you are not going to find in other places. Below are 14 of the best cities in the United States for high paying jobs.
San Jose California
Over the years San Jose has become a mecca for tech companies. This increase in tech firms that have been moving in, has allowed for the average worker to look at around $73,000 a year. The trend of tech companies migrating to San Jose, is a trend that has shown very little signs of slowing down in the near future. Many people who find themselves working a job at this starting rate, can see their wage soar to almost double that in only a few years.
San Francisco
San Francisco is a site that has on average, more white collar workers than the majority of other cities found in the United States. Playing home to a thriving arts and culture scene, as well as having a concentration of tech companies, many have moved out to California to take advantage of the unique opportunities that are present here. Professionals with degrees are looking at an average yearly salary of $79,000 with many of these salaries doubling within a short time frame.
Houston Texas
Texas is viewed as one of the most business friendly states in the country. This state plays home to the most headquarters of various fortune 500 companies. Houston, is a city that has been making its mark over the last few years. From seeing great job growth and a raise in the standard of living, Houston has been seeing an influx in workers from out of state. Workers in the Houston area with a degree are looking at an average of $71,000 a year starting with your more average worker looking at $56,000 a year.
Manchester New Hampshire
Manchester New Hampshire is a city that was able to make it through the rescission with unemployment levels only reaching the 6% level. Today, large growth has made this a beacon for anyone who is looking for a good high paying job. The growth the city has been experiencing hasn’t shown any signs that it is going to be slowing down anytime soon. The last few years there has been a steady growth in the city that has allowed many different sectors to become stronger. Currently the average wage falls between $64k and $75k a year.
Washington D.C.
On average, the wage in Washington D.C. tend to be 40% high than the nation average. This city is known for having a strong financial sector as well as being home to many different government jobs. Washington D.C. is unique when compared to other cities on this list, in the sense that it has maintained the same job sectors regardless of what may be going on with the economy. This is one area where the recession didn’t do as much damage as it did to other cities. The average salary that you can expect to be earning in this city is around $83k a year, with some jobs being upwards of $125k a year.
Trenton New Jersey
Trenton first got its start as being one of the hubs of industry in the United States. Today, Trenton has been seeing an increase in the technology sector. The growth that this city has been seeing has made it so that there is plenty of new and exciting opportunities to make themselves known. This is also one of the few cities where you are going to be seeing a low level of competition when it comes to high-paying jobs. The average wage in Trenton falls between $75k and $87 a year.
Boston Massachusetts
Boston is one of the business hubs of New England. In this city you can expect to find the sectors of health care, technology and finance growing every year. The growth level in Boston is one of the fastest paced rates that you are going to find in the country. Depending on the field that you end up going into, you can expect the average income to fall between $87k and $125k a year.
Baltimore Maryland
Baltimore plays home to both maritime commerce as well as a hub for research. The last few years have seen an increase in the city’s technology and defense sectors. The average wage is well above $50k a year. There are many different firms that are looking a diverse set of skills which makes finding work easier than it is in other cities.
Worcester Massachusetts
Worcester has been seeing a boom when it comes to jobs related to the life sciences. Many different healthcare firms and health related industries have been seeing a major growth over the last few years. 15% of the people who live in this city work in this field. There has also been a high demand for engineers. On average, you can expect to be making $75k and $80k a year.
Cedar Rapids Iowa
Cedar Rapid has one of the strongest tech, health care and finical sectors out of the other Midwestern states. This is also a state that has a strong aircraft industry with the Rockwell Collins being one of the largest employers in the city. Cedar Rapids has played home to many innovations in air craft technology and has manage to set itself apart from other cities that specialize in this field. While the average wage for the job is going to change from job to job, you can expect the starting wage to be around $65k a year with some professions averaging out to around $95k a year.
Anchorage Alaska
Anchorage is a remote city that has a low level of competition for jobs. The remoteness of the city is one of the big factors that goes into many jobs having higher than average yearly wages. Health care and energy tend to be the two largest sectors currently operating in Anchorage. The competition for jobs in this city is on the relative low side, in part due to the city being located in an extremely remote location. There is also an extremely large fishing industry that operates out of Anchorage. The average that you can expect to be earning is around $60k and $89k a year.
Harrisburg Pennsylvania
Even with the city having to deal with bankruptcy, Harrisburg has been growing as a great place for anyone looking for jobs. The two sectors that have been seeing a great amount of growth has been health care and government jobs. The low average that you are going to find is around $66k a year with some jobs being as high as $100k a year. Salaries are going to vary, but the majority of jobs fall into this range. The competition for these high paying jobs has been average, with many people able to find something that suits their skill sets.
Minneapolis Minnesota
Minneapolis plays home to 21 Fortune 500 companies and has a very diverse economy. Here you can find work in healthcare, government, manufacturing and technical services. There has also been a growing export business as well. The manufacturing sector of Minneapolis has been growing faster than what you are going to see with similar sized cities. Many cities that have been hubs of manufacturing in the past, have either evolved to match other industries or have shifted their workforce into other areas. On average, the yearly salary for workers in this city falls between $65k and $80k a week.
Springfield Massachusetts
Springfield is located right in a region of the state that is filled with Universities, tech companies and has some of the best hospitals that you are going to find in New England. These three sectors hold a high amount of promise for anyone who is looking to land a good paying job. The yearly salaries that you can expect to be earning in this city can be in the range of $70k and up. Salaries are going to vary from industry to industry but you are looking at something around that range.
These are some of the cities that have been seeing a growth in their various sectors and have been seeing wages throughout the different sectors increasing as the years go on. Currently the two biggest fields that have been paying the best fall into the tech and health care sectors, but many government positions have also been on the list of best paying jobs.
