Best US cities to work in

Everyone dreams of leading a great life, to be able to live and work in places that offer the best and yet that are affordable.

Value-hunters seeking the most bang for the buck from life, whether you’re a recent college grad, or someone looking for high paying careers in metropolitan areas with a low cost of living, CareerCast helps with its ‘best places to live and work’ report.

 “The income a candidate can command is contingent on availability of jobs in a specific region,” says Kyle Kensing, Online Content Editor, CareerCast. “For example, the San Francisco Bay Area – which ranks behind only New York City for average cost of living – might be your best value if you work in computer science.”

Certain regions are best for specific industries. Houston ranks in the top 10 nationally for average mean income for jobs spanning different sectors, like business (senior-level corporate executive); energy (petroleum engineer); and transportation (airline pilot). Meanwhile, the city’s average cost of living is 1% below the national average.

Throughout the Lone Star State, there are attractive destinations both in terms of pay, diversity of career options, and living expense. Austin and Midland have cost-of-living averages 6 per cent and 3 per cent below the national average. The Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area is right at the national average, and ranks in the top 10 of average salary for three of the Jobs Rated report’s 35 highest-paying jobs: psychiatrist, actuary and veterinarian.

Cities with major universities are also great places to live and work. Lincoln, Nebraska (University of Nebraska-Lincoln); Tucson, Arizona (University of Arizona); Columbus, Ohio (The Ohio State University); and Durham, North Carolina (Duke University and North Carolina Central University) all appear in the Top 10, as well as Austin, home to the University of Texas. All have below-average cost-of-living expenses, and each ranks in highly-paid Jobs Rated careers.

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