Best Cities for Commercial Diverss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where commercial diverss 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	WashingtonState	2.07	$161,800	$150,792	14%
2	New YorkState	1.92	$157,800	$140,267	14%
3	Rhode IslandState	1.72	$126,320	$125,692	14%
4	CaliforniaState	1.26	$101,540	$91,725	27%
5	IndianaState	1.26	$83,510	$92,276	15%
6	HawaiiState	1.19	$95,750	$87,045	30%
7	ArizonaState	1.17	$85,990	$85,223	21%
8	VermontState	1.15	$85,780	$83,688	20%
9	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.11	$84,200	$81,353	23%
10	New JerseyState	1.09	$86,920	$79,890	25%
11	MaineState	1.02	$74,610	$74,760	21%
12	KentuckyState	0.98	$63,550	$71,808	18%
13	MissouriState	0.97	$63,030	$71,140	20%
14	LouisianaState	0.95	$62,230	$69,068	20%
15	VirginiaState	0.83	$62,340	$60,232	30%
16	MichiganState	0.81	$54,620	$59,177	25%
17	ConnecticutState	0.76	$59,690	$55,474	32%
18	South CarolinaState	0.73	$49,260	$53,543	31%
19	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.70	$55,440	$51,097	44%
20	FloridaState	0.67	$49,640	$48,906	42%
21	TexasState	0.67	$46,490	$48,630	36%

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