THE BIG FINISH
WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND THE MARKET'S LEADING INDICATORS
Source: RentCafé's June report, "The Best Metros for Your Profession: San Jose Tops the List, and Not Only for Those in IT"
112
THE BEST LOCATION BY OCCUPATION
Choosing a career path and a place to call home are two of the most significant decisions facing anyone as they grow into
adulthood. While there are countless factors to be considered on both fronts, a new report explores why it might make more
sense to consider both questions as extensions of each other. After all, it's not just about where a person wants to live—it's about
finding a hometown that meshes well with their chosen career.
With that in mind, RENTCafé set out to determine the best (and worst) metros for a variety of career fields, working from
data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. After considering the average net income for each of the professions under the
microscope, RENTCafé then subtracted the average annual cost of living (based on MIT data) and saw how much money was
left over after those expenses (which MIT calculates to include the minimum cost of food, health insurance, housing, trans-
portation and other living expenses, plus income taxes).
OCCUPATION LOCATION ANNUAL INCOME
AFTER COST OF
LIVING EXPENSES
MANAGEMENT SAN JOSE-SUNNYVALE-SANTA
CLARA, CALIFORNIA
$87,400
LEGAL SAN JOSE-SUNNYVALE-SANTA
CLARA, CALIFORNIA
$77,600
COMPUTER &
MATHEMATICAL
SAN JOSE-SUNNYVALE-SANTA
CLARA, CALIFORNIA
$62,400
ARCHITECTURE &
ENGINEERING
SAN JOSE-SUNNYVALE-SANTA
CLARA, CALIFORNIA
$55,700
HEALTHCARE
PRACTITIONERS &
TECHNICAL
SACRAMENTO-ROSEVILLE-
ARDEN-ARCADE, CALIFORNIA
$53,900
LIFE, PHYSICAL &
SOCIAL SCIENCE
WASHINGTON-ARLINGTON-
ALEXANDRIA, DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA-VIRGINIA
$46,000
BUSINESS & FINANCIAL
OPERATIONS
SAN JOSE-SUNNYVALE-SANTA
CLARA, CALIFORNIA
$39,800
PROTECTIVE SERVICE BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA
$37,100
CONSTRUCTION &
EXTRACTION
CHICAGO-NAPERVILLE-ELGIN,
ILLINOIS-INDIANA-WISCONSIN
$36,700
ARTS, DESIGN,
ENTERTAINMENT,
SPORTS & MEDIA
LOS ANGELES-LONG BEACH-
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA
$27,100