With STEM jobs projected to grow 8.1% between 2024 and 2034, compared to just 2.7% for other occupations, the personal-finance company WalletHub followed up on its 2026’s Best Cities for Jobs report with an in-depth analysis of 2026’s Best & Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals, as well as expert commentary.
To determine the best markets for STEM workers, WalletHub compared the 100 biggest metro areas across 21 key metrics.
The data set ranges from per-capita job openings for STEM graduates to median wage growth for STEM workers.
| Best for STEM | Worst for STEM | ||
| 1. Boston, MA | 91. Oxnard, CA | ||
| 2. Atlanta, GA | 92. Greensboro, NC | ||
| 3. Seattle, WA | 93. Winston-Salem, NC | ||
| 4. Pittsburgh, PA | 94. McAllen, TX | ||
| 5. Austin, TX | 95. Deltona, FL | ||
| 6. San Francisco, CA | 96. Little Rock, AR | ||
| 7. Cincinnati, OH | 97. Memphis, TN | ||
| 8. Salt Lake City, UT | 98. North Port, FL | ||
| 9. Minneapolis, MN | 99. Jackson, MS | ||
| 10. Orlando, FL | 100. Cape Coral, FL | ||
Best vs. Worst
- Greenville, South Carolina, has the most STEM job openings per capita – 18.4 times higher than in North Port, Florida, which has the fewest.
- San Jose, California, has the highest average monthly earnings for new employees in STEM industries – four times higher than in Lakeland, Florida, which has the lowest.
- San Jose, California, has the highest share of workers in STEM occupations – 9.9 times higher than in McAllen, Texas, which has the lowest.
- Augusta, Georgia, has the highest median annual wage for STEM workers* – 2.3 times higher than in Honolulu, Hawaii, which has the lowest.
*Adjusted by the cost of living.
To view the full report and your metro area’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
