Best Cities for Computer Network Architectss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where computer network architectss 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	South DakotaState	1.26	$153,390	$168,932	7%
2	WashingtonState	1.17	$168,070	$156,636	14%
3	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	1.16	$186,110	$154,834	20%
4	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	1.13	$160,340	$151,550	13%
5	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.13	$172,650	$151,050	15%
6	AlabamaState	1.12	$130,810	$150,184	9%
7	New JerseyState	1.11	$162,350	$149,219	13%
8	DelawareState	1.10	$148,390	$146,921	11%
9	MarylandState	1.09	$159,460	$146,026	13%
10	South CarolinaState	1.09	$134,990	$146,728	11%
11	West VirginiaState	1.09	$122,520	$145,511	8%
12	OhioState	1.08	$131,070	$144,989	10%
13	CaliforniaState	1.07	$158,870	$143,514	17%
14	GeorgiaState	1.07	$133,890	$143,351	13%
15	MassachusettsState	1.07	$155,060	$142,912	17%
16	WisconsinState	1.06	$131,720	$142,709	10%
17	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	1.06	$160,650	$141,542	19%
18	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	1.06	$137,900	$141,872	14%
19	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	1.06	$159,820	$141,684	15%
20	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.05	$134,410	$140,303	13%
21	Columbus, OHMetro	1.05	$131,260	$140,385	12%
22	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.05	$128,830	$141,261	11%
23	TexasState	1.04	$133,310	$139,446	12%
24	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	1.04	$128,260	$139,413	12%
25	NevadaState	1.03	$138,060	$137,784	13%
26	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	1.03	$133,890	$138,316	14%
27	IllinoisState	1.02	$132,790	$136,335	12%
28	IndianaState	1.02	$124,190	$137,227	10%
29	VirginiaState	1.02	$141,340	$136,560	13%
30	MinnesotaState	1.01	$133,270	$135,990	12%
31	North CarolinaState	1.01	$127,320	$134,873	12%
32	PennsylvaniaState	1.01	$131,840	$135,918	12%
33	TennesseeState	1.01	$123,860	$135,366	12%
34	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	1.01	$134,230	$134,905	13%
35	ConnecticutState	1.00	$143,890	$133,727	13%
36	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	1.00	$129,370	$134,480	14%
37	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.00	$138,850	$134,155	14%
38	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.00	$123,410	$133,416	11%
39	ColoradoState	0.99	$139,230	$132,097	16%
40	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.99	$130,750	$132,741	16%
41	FloridaState	0.98	$132,800	$130,837	16%
42	OregonState	0.98	$135,660	$131,709	14%
43	ArizonaState	0.97	$130,890	$129,722	14%
44	Rhode IslandState	0.97	$131,320	$130,667	14%
45	ArkansasState	0.95	$110,400	$127,926	10%
46	NebraskaState	0.95	$116,420	$127,235	11%
47	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	0.95	$137,200	$127,273	16%
48	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	0.94	$147,510	$126,618	18%
49	New YorkState	0.93	$140,390	$124,791	16%
50	OklahomaState	0.92	$109,450	$123,672	11%
51	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.92	$133,650	$123,180	18%
52	MichiganState	0.91	$112,040	$121,387	12%
53	District of ColumbiaState	0.90	$137,670	$120,446	18%
54	UtahState	0.90	$121,000	$120,758	15%
55	LouisianaState	0.88	$106,620	$118,335	12%
56	New HampshireState	0.88	$125,420	$118,321	15%
57	New MexicoState	0.88	$109,080	$118,565	12%
58	North DakotaState	0.88	$108,990	$117,700	11%
59	KentuckyState	0.87	$103,740	$117,220	11%
60	MissouriState	0.87	$103,130	$116,400	12%
61	AlaskaState	0.86	$119,720	$114,784	14%
62	IowaState	0.86	$103,050	$115,527	11%
63	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	0.86	$107,450	$115,787	14%
64	IdahoState	0.83	$107,620	$111,523	13%
65	KansasState	0.83	$100,610	$111,789	12%
66	MaineState	0.81	$108,570	$108,788	14%
67	MontanaState	0.81	$104,300	$108,195	13%
68	VermontState	0.81	$110,930	$108,224	15%
69	WyomingState	0.81	$100,520	$108,086	12%
70	MississippiState	0.80	$90,990	$107,300	12%
71	HawaiiState	0.73	$108,000	$98,182	27%

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