The last two years have been—unexpectedly—hard for science and scientists. Normally celebrated for their work, public confidence and belief in scientists took a nosedive amid the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, research needs soared as there was a new public health threat. Even post-pandemic, research into zoonotic viruses and universal vaccines are gaining increased interest compared with 2019 and earlier.
In fact, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics analysis, STEM workers are in fierce demand. STEM professions are expected to grow 10.8% between 2021 and 2031, compared with just 4.9% for all other occupations. In addition, the median annual STEM wage is $95,420, compared with $40,120 for all non-STEM occupations.
To determine the best markets for STEM professionals, WalletHub compared the 100 biggest U.S. metro areas across 21 metrics within three main dimensions—professional opportunities, STEM-friendliness and quality of life.
As in past years, Seattle was ranked as the best area in the U.S. for STEM professionals. Keeping with that trend, Jackson, Mississippi was again ranked as the worst area, as it was in both 2021 and 2022. Let’s take a look at the rest of the top and bottom 10.
The Best Metro Areas
1. Seattle, Washington
2. Austin, Texas
3. Boston, Massachusetts
4. Atlanta, Georgia
5. San Francisco, California
6. San Jose, California
7. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
8. Minneapolis, Minnesota
9. Madison, Wisconsin
10. Sacramento, California
Compared with 2022, San Jose and Sacramento are new to the top 10. Conversely, Salt Lake City, Utah and Orlando, Florida fell out of the top 10—Salt Lake City moved to No. 12 while Orlando moved to No. 14 for 2023.
The Worst Metro Areas
91. Stockton, California
92. Winston, North Carolina
93. Tulsa, Oklahoma
94. Bridgeport, Connecticut
95. North Port, Florida
96. Augusta, Georgia
97. Memphis, Tennessee
98. Little Rock, Arkansas
99. Cape Coral, Florida
100. Jackson, Mississippi
Interestingly, there are four newcomers to the worst list this year—Stockton, Winston, Tulsa and Augusta were all ranked above 91 last year.
Additional analysis by WalletHub revealed even more trends and lists. Unsurprisingly, California owns the percentage of workforce involved in STEM, with the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara are and the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley are both making the top five. They are joined by Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue (No. 2), Washington, D.C.-Arlington-Alexandria (No. 4), and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville (No. 5).
North Carolina’s Raleigh-Cary is ranked No. 1 in annual median wage for STEM workers, while being ranked No. 15 overall. That’s not incredibly surprising since Raleigh is part of the famed Research Triangle created by the proximity of Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia (North and South Carolina), Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville (Florida), Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (Texas), and Albuquerque, (New Mexico) round out the top five for annual median wage.
But that’s not the last we see of Albuquerque. In addition to offering a top competitive salary, Albuquerque also has the highest housing affordability of all the metro areas studied. Given the state of today’s housing market and interest rates, housing affordability is likely much more of a concern for STEM job seekers in 2023 compared with previous years. Additionally, Albuquerque is ranked 28th overall, which is significantly higher than the other four areas in the top five of housing affordability—No. 2 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn is 82nd overall, No. 3 Toledo is 77th, No. 4 Dayton-Kettering is 56th and No. 5 Winston-Salem is 92nd.
For the full ranking of cities, as well as total and individual scores, additional sub-lists, expert analysis, and the full methodology, visit WalletHub’s article here.