The Best Metros for Your Profession: San Jose Tops the List, and Not Only for Those in IT

From doctors to artists, lawyers to professors, it’s no secret that we all strive for a good financial situation, among other things. While switching professions could be an option for adding more zeros to that bank account, many would agree that it requires a lot of time, dedication and unnecessary stress. So, how about switching cities? In the land of endless possibilities, the idea of packing a bag and heading to another part of the U.S. is not so far-fetched. Since different cities bring about different costs, it’s only natural to choose one of the best places to live and work where you could have some money left at the end of the year.

We wanted to find out which are the best and worst metros to live in according to each profession and turned to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for more information. From the average net income per professional field we substracted the average cost of living per metro to calculate the average amount of money left each year. It’s important to point out that for the cost of living we used MIT data which includes the minimum cost of food, health insurance, housing, transportation and other living expenses, plus income taxes.

Management workers cash in $89,500 annually, about $27,000 more than Healthcare professionals

You guessed it! Managers, executives or administrators earn the highest amount of money, about $89,500 per year. They are closely followed by those working in fields like Legal or Computer & Mathematical. However, heroic jobs in Health, Education, Protective Services and Community & Social Service are not as highly paid as one might think. In fact, those in Protective Services earn an average income of only $38,000 per year, which is lower than that of someone working in Construction & Extraction for example.

Take a look at the USA average net income by professional occupation here.

People working in five different fields are left with the highest amounts of money in San Jose metro

We’ve already established that nationally, Management is the highest paid field, but the numbers change once we look at the annual incomes for each profession at the metro level. The San Jose metro area is one of the best places to live and work, with residents working in Management bring left with a hefty amount of $87,400 after covering living expenses. The metro is a heaven not only for managers & co. but also for those working in Legal, Computer & Mathematical, Architecture & Engineering and Business & Financial Operations. Even though it’s one of the most expensive metros in the U.S., San Jose is the best place to live and work in for those in these fields as they are left with more than $40,000 each year. This sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? But let’s not forget that we’re talking about highly-paid professions here.

The grass (or shall we say ‘dollar’?) is not so green for those working in Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance and Food Preparation & Serving. Although not so well-paid as their manager friends, people working in both fields have found solace in tourist-magnet Las Vegas metro. Simply put, they are better off living here than in any other U.S. metro. Don’t be fooled though, the situation is still rather grim for them. For example, those working in Food Preparation & Serving have an average annual net income of $21,700 in Las Vegas metro, but after taxes and other expenses, they are actually left with only $500. And yes, this is the best-case scenario.

If we look at the metros where people are left with the lowest amounts of money, the situation is worthy of a horror movie. By far, one metro stands out. McAllen, TX is the worst choice for people working in six different fields as they are left with little money after paying for basic expenses. Therefore, mathematicians, architects, chemists, carpenters, repairers or secretaries should try to steer clear of this metro. Right at the bottom of our list, being left with virtually no money at the end of the year are those working in Food Preparation & Serving. Unable to afford the average American life, they are left with a debt of nearly $11,200 each year if they choose to live in Washington metro.

Hartford metro is the best place to live and work for most professions

Among our Top 10 Best Metros, Hartford, CT is the best place to live and work in for 12 out of the 21 professions studied. Hartfordians working in the following fields are left with more than $11,000 per year: Business & Financial Operations, Computer & Mathematical, Life, Physical & Social Science, Community & Social Services, Education, Training & Library, Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports & Media, Protective Service, Office & Administrative Support, Installation, Maintenance, & Repair and Production. The only exceptions are Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance and Personal Care & Service where Hartfordians can count on less than $3,400 after covering living expenses. Other metros like Spokane, WA (9 professions), San Francisco (7 professions), Bakersfield, CA (9 professions) and Minneapolis, MN (7 professions) are also some of the best places to move for jobs in a high number of fields.

Check out below our interactive Top 10 Best Metros for your profession, including the likes of Houston, Denver, Dallas, and Seattle. By selecting the occupation from the drop-down menu, you can see the amounts of money left each year and the basic living expenses for each metro.

Waiters and manicurists in Honolulu are unable to afford the basic living expenses

The Top 10 Worst Metros are mainly spread across Florida, California and Hawaii. In both Deltona, FL and Urban Honolulu, people working in 11 different fields are left with little or no money at the end of the year.  What’s more, in some fields like Personal Care & Service and Food Preparation & Serving, Hawaiians are left with debts ranging from $8,000 to $9,000. A possible explanation for this gloomy looking picture is that Honolulu is a very expensive place to live in, with low salaries and high cost of living. North Port, FL and San Diego metro are also the worst options for about 10 different professions. See for yourself the metros that you should avoid:

What metros have the narrowest and widest gender pay gaps?

Let’s take it one step further. Although it’s clear that there is a persisting gender pay gap across the country, we wanted to look at metros in particular, and pinpoint the ones that have the narrowest and widest gender pay gaps. According to Census, on a national scale, women earn a median amount of $41,554 annually while men earn $51,640. This means that women make only 80.5% of men’s earnings, regardless of profession. Going further, we put together a top highlighting the metros with the narrowest gender pay gaps, as well the ones with the widest gender pay gaps.

Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings are higher than the national average in 8 out of the top 10 metros with the narrowest pay gaps. The only exceptions are Lakeland, FL where women make 80.1% of men’s earnings and Orlando where they make 80.3%. Of all states, Florida ranks the highest among our top 10 narrowest gender pay gaps, with 7 metros. Las Vegas metro is one of the best places to move for jobs, leading the way in closing the gap since women working here make about 83.9% of men’s earnings while Durham metro, NC comes in second, with a percentage of 83%. Women in Cape Coral, FL also beat the national average, making 82.3% of what men earn.

When it comes to the widest gender pay gaps, it’s worth mentioning that for the following metros, women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings are under the national average of 80.3%, leading with Provo metro, UT. Here, women earn only 44 cents for every dollar their male colleagues make (44%). In Ogden metro, UT, women make 52.9% of men’s earnings while in Baton Rouge, LA they make 59.5%. Here are the metros that have the widest gender pay gaps in the country:

Use this interactive table to see which profession is most/least profitable in your metro: