Best Cities for Budget Analystss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where budget analystss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	AlabamaState	1.25	$99,490	$114,225	12%
2	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.22	$102,080	$111,930	14%
3	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	1.21	$125,050	$110,860	19%
4	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	1.20	$131,730	$109,592	29%
5	District of ColumbiaState	1.19	$124,590	$109,003	20%
6	MichiganState	1.14	$96,430	$104,475	14%
7	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	1.13	$99,880	$103,182	19%
8	VirginiaState	1.11	$105,470	$101,903	18%
9	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	1.10	$99,370	$100,883	21%
10	Columbus, OHMetro	1.09	$93,780	$100,299	17%
11	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	1.09	$92,000	$100,000	17%
12	OhioState	1.08	$89,840	$99,381	14%
13	GeorgiaState	1.07	$91,870	$98,362	18%
14	IllinoisState	1.06	$94,880	$97,413	17%
15	IowaState	1.06	$86,550	$97,029	13%
16	MarylandState	1.06	$106,020	$97,088	19%
17	New MexicoState	1.04	$87,360	$94,957	14%
18	TennesseeState	1.03	$86,570	$94,612	17%
19	South CarolinaState	1.02	$86,260	$93,761	17%
20	West VirginiaState	1.02	$78,850	$93,646	13%
21	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.02	$89,410	$93,330	20%
22	ColoradoState	1.01	$97,100	$92,125	23%
23	MississippiState	1.01	$78,850	$92,983	14%
24	MissouriState	1.01	$81,980	$92,528	15%
25	OregonState	1.01	$95,250	$92,476	20%
26	Rhode IslandState	1.01	$92,790	$92,328	19%
27	OklahomaState	1.00	$80,990	$91,514	14%
28	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.00	$85,160	$91,767	18%
29	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.00	$84,660	$91,524	17%
30	AlaskaState	0.99	$94,740	$90,834	17%
31	IndianaState	0.99	$82,080	$90,696	15%
32	NebraskaState	0.99	$83,010	$90,721	15%
33	VermontState	0.99	$93,430	$91,151	18%
34	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	0.99	$96,150	$90,879	21%
35	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	0.99	$93,600	$90,435	20%
36	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	0.99	$104,090	$91,067	25%
37	CaliforniaState	0.98	$99,520	$89,901	27%
38	LouisianaState	0.98	$80,530	$89,378	16%
39	WashingtonState	0.98	$96,640	$90,065	24%
40	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	0.98	$86,530	$89,948	22%
41	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	0.98	$96,430	$89,453	22%
42	ConnecticutState	0.97	$95,440	$88,699	20%
43	KansasState	0.97	$80,140	$89,044	15%
44	New JerseyState	0.97	$96,250	$88,465	22%
45	UtahState	0.97	$88,610	$88,433	20%
46	WisconsinState	0.97	$82,180	$89,036	16%
47	MaineState	0.96	$88,130	$88,307	18%
48	MinnesotaState	0.96	$85,970	$87,724	18%
49	KentuckyState	0.95	$76,860	$86,847	15%
50	New HampshireState	0.95	$92,600	$87,358	21%
51	North CarolinaState	0.95	$82,350	$87,235	19%
52	PennsylvaniaState	0.95	$84,240	$86,845	18%
53	South DakotaState	0.95	$79,180	$87,203	15%
54	TexasState	0.95	$82,970	$86,789	20%
55	WyomingState	0.95	$81,100	$87,204	15%
56	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	0.95	$98,330	$86,634	31%
57	IdahoState	0.94	$83,220	$86,238	17%
58	MassachusettsState	0.93	$92,260	$85,032	29%
59	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	0.93	$82,790	$85,175	23%
60	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	0.93	$84,450	$84,874	21%
61	ArizonaState	0.92	$84,810	$84,054	21%
62	HawaiiState	0.92	$92,380	$83,982	31%
63	ArkansasState	0.91	$71,800	$83,198	15%
64	North DakotaState	0.91	$77,400	$83,585	15%
65	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	0.91	$96,870	$83,150	28%
66	FloridaState	0.90	$84,170	$82,926	25%
67	MontanaState	0.90	$79,700	$82,676	17%
68	DelawareState	0.89	$82,000	$81,188	20%
69	NevadaState	0.89	$81,600	$81,437	21%
70	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.87	$86,610	$79,825	28%
71	New YorkState	0.86	$88,540	$78,702	25%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).