Best & Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals

STEM workers are in fierce demand, and not just in the global epicenter of high tech known as Silicon Valley. According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics analysis, STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — professions are expected to grow 8.1% between 2024 and 2034, compared to just 2.7% for all other occupations. In addition, the median annual STEM wage is $103,580, compared to $48,000 for all non-STEM occupations. 

Given their growing demand, STEM careers today provide some of the most lucrative employment opportunities. They pay higher salaries and boast far fewer threats of unemployment compared with other types of jobs. 

To determine the best markets for STEM professionals, WalletHub compared the 100 largest metro areas across 21 key metrics. Our data set ranges from per-capita job openings for STEM graduates to median wage growth for STEM jobs. 

 “Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) jobs tend to have high salaries, and job opportunities grow at three times the rate of non-STEM jobs. We can only expect this to accelerate in the future as new technologies continue to change the employment landscape. The top metro areas for STEM professionals have high-quality schools, an abundance of jobs and high pay. They’re also great places to live, but since many STEM jobs can be done remotely, you might also consider working in one of these areas while living elsewhere.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

In-Depth Look at the Best Metro Areas for STEM Professionals

Boston, MA

The Boston metro area is the best place for STEM professionals in 2026 in part because it prioritizes STEM advancement. R&D expenditures make up over 9% of its GDP, the highest percentage in the country. On top of that, Boston has the second-most invention patents per capita.

Boston does a good job teaching STEM fundamentals from a young age, too, ranking at the top of the country when it comes to fourth- and eighth-grade mathematics performance. Those students may also want to stay in the city for college and grad school, as the Boston metro area has six schools that rank in the top 100 engineering universities in the U.S. That’s the most for any metro area.

Finally, STEM employment in Boston makes up over 11% of all jobs, the sixth-highest percentage in the country. Plus, around 12% of job postings on Indeed for the metro area are in tech, the ninth-highest percentage.

Atlanta, GA

The Atlanta, GA, metro area ranks second for STEM professionals, in part because the city has the third-most job openings for STEM graduates per capita and it also ranks among the top cities for gender equity in STEM occupations, with the ninth-smallest disparity between women and men in the field.

People in the Atlanta area can expect high earnings, too. The metro area ranks in the top 10 for median earnings from STEM jobs, at over $110,000 per year, adjusted for the cost of living. Atlanta is also good for tech education – students can find tech-related summer programs, and the area’s engineering universities rank third in the nation. Due to its promising conditions for this field, Atlanta is sometimes referred to as “Silicon Peach.”

To top things off, Atlanta is a great place to live in general, ranking third among the best cities for recreation and the best place for singles.

Seattle, WA

Seattle, one of the most well-known West Coast tech hubs, is the third-best area for STEM, in large part because it has plentiful STEM jobs. For example, the Seattle metro area ranks third in the country for STEM employment, with STEM positions making up nearly 13% of all jobs. In addition, 28.6% of new job postings on Indeed are in tech, the highest percentage in the nation.

STEM jobs in the Seattle metro aren’t just abundant – they also pay well. Seattle has one of the highest average monthly wages for new STEM employees, at nearly $12,000. Moreover, the region’s engineering universities hold the seventh spot nationwide. 

Seattle’s economy is deeply tied to STEM innovation, too. Over 8.4% of the Seattle metro area’s GDP stems from research and development, the third-highest share in the country. It also has very productive inventors, with the third-most invention patents per capita.

Methodology

In order to determine the best job markets for STEM professionals, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) — metro areas, for short — across three key dimensions, “Professional Opportunities”, “STEM-Friendliness” and “Quality of Life.” 

We evaluated those dimensions using 21 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for STEM professionals. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level.

Finally, we determined each metro area’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.