By Morgan Quinn
GOBankingRates.com.
Are you getting paid well for your career?
If the answer is no, it might not be because of what line of work you’re in, you could be getting underpaid because of where you live.
In a new study, GOBankingRates ranked the best- and worst-paying cities for some of the hottest jobs of 2015, showing the huge impact geography has on income.
Our report doesn’t just focus on the city whose residents get the highest nominal salary because workers in expensive cities like San Francisco will typically make more than residents of, say, Des Moines, Iowa. We weighted our evaluation to account for local wage differences as a cost-of-living measurement. The resulting rankings show you which cities actually give their workers the most bang for their income.
ACCOUNTANT
National median wage: $60,151
Best Cities
5. Haverhill, Mass. ($72,020)
4. San Jose, Calif. ($85,280)
3. New York ($84,020)
2. Salinas, Calif. ($78,640)
1. Parkersburg, W.Va. ($69,500)
Worst Cities
5. Honolulu ($57,150)
4. Charleston, W.Va. ($49,110)
3. Jefferson City, Mo. ($46,110)
2. Ann Arbor, Mich. ($56,910)
1. Tallahassee, Fla. ($47,200)
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COMPUTER SYSTEMS ANALYST
National median wage: $74,234
Best Cities
5. Oxnard, Calif. ($98,660)
4. Chattanooga, Tenn. ($86,900)
3. Peoria, Ill. ($92,530)
2. Colorado Springs, Colo. ($97,600)
1. Springfield, Ill. ($103,290)
Worst Cities
5. Lincoln, Neb. ($62,760)
4. Syracuse, N.Y. ($65,900)
3. Lansing, Mich. ($66,850)
2. New Orleans ($58,760)
1. Jefferson City, Mo. ($49,540)
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DENTAL HYGIENIST
National median wage: $69,071
Best Cities
5. Tacoma, Wash. ($94,700)
4. Los Angeles ($103,380)
3. San Francisco ($114,690)
2. Sacramento, Calif. ($103,830)
1. Oxnard, Calif. ($104,530)
Worst Cities
5. Pittsburgh ($55,800)
4. Columbia, S.C. ($51,860)
3. New Orleans ($52,860)
2. Oklahoma City ($45,960)
1. Birmingham, Ala. ($46,070)
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DENTIST
National median wage: $143,417
Best Cities
5. Charlotte, N.C. ($169,760)
4. San Antonio ($167,960)
3. Tampa, Fla. ($167,040)
2. Fort Worth, Texas ($178,860)
1. Atlanta ($186,310)
Worst Cities
5. San Jose, Calif. ($125,150)
4. Indianapolis ($97,390)
3. Washington ($117,230)
2. Las Vegas ($96,430)
1. Bethesda, Md. ($62,580)
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INFORMATION SECURITY ANALYST
National median wage: $81,686
Best Cities
5. Tampa, Fla. ($89,140)
4. Oakland, Calif. ($109,320)
3. San Jose, Calif. ($113,260)
2. Charlotte, N.C. ($94,410)
1. New York ($114,560)
Worst Cities
5. St. Louis ($75,620)
4. Columbus, Ohio ($74,160)
3. Cincinnati ($72,370)
2. Boston ($82,840)
1. Miami ($67,170)
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GOBankingRates.com (<http://www.gobankingrates.com>) is a leading portal for personal finance news and features, offering visitors the latest information on everything from interest rates to strategies on saving money, managing a budget and getting out of debt.
