- Salaries are determined by several factors, including geography.
- Using data from the US Census Bureau, we looked at how much households bring in on average in the 30 biggest metropolitan areas in the US.
- Nineteen cities have an average income that exceeds the national mean household income of $84,525, nine of which are six figures.
A worker’s salary varies not just by age or by job, but by geography. Where you live can help determine just how big of a paycheck you bring home.
Your earnings are likely to be more robust if you’re living in a city with a higher cost of living. For example, a 30-year-old with a job in tech is likely to earn more working in an expensive city like New York City than they would working in a lower cost-of-living city like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Therefore, the average income varies from city to city. We consulted the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to find the mean household income in the 30 biggest metropolitan areas in the United States. The survey includes data compiled in 2017 and defines household as “all the people who occupy a housing unit.”
The national mean household income is $84,525 a year. About one-third of the cities on the list have an average income below that, leaving 19 cities that exceed the national average. Nine of those cities fare particularly well – workers there earn an average of six figures.
Below, see the average income in America's biggest US cities, ranked from lowest to highest paycheck.
30. Tampa, Florida
Average household income: $74,499
29. San Antonio, Texas
Average household income: $77,001
28. Orlando, Florida
Average household income: $77,135
27. Las Vegas, Nevada
Average household income: $78,422
26. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Average household income: $80,012
25. Riverside, California
Average household income: $81,378
24. Detroit, Michigan
Average household income: $81,606
23. Miami, Florida
Average household income: $81,633
22. St. Louis, Missouri
Average household income: $82,841
21. Cincinnati, Ohio
Average household income: $83,111
20. Phoenix, Arizona
Average household income: $83,688
19. Kansas City, Missouri
Average household income: $85,949
18. Charlotte, North Carolina
Average household income: $85,987
17. Sacramento, California
Average household income: $90,806
16. Atlanta, Georgia
Average household income: $90,879
15. Dallas, Texas
Average household income: $92,495
14. Houston, Texas
Average household income: $92,532
13. Portland, Oregon
Average household income: $92,750
12. Chicago, Illinois
Average household income: $95,010
11. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Average household income: $95,595
10. Los Angeles, California
Average household income: $99,303
9. Baltimore, Maryland
Average household income: $101,124
8. Denver, Colorado
Average household income: $101,249
7. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Average household income: $101,405
6. San Diego, California
Average household income: $103,215
5. Seattle, Washington
Average household income: $109,619
4. New York, New York
Average household income: $110,849
3. Boston, Massachusetts
Average household income: $116,561
2. Washington, DC
Average household income: $128,402
1. San Francisco, California
Average household income: $140,720