Best Cities for Producers and Directorss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where producers and directorss 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	CaliforniaState	1.30	$129,790	$117,245	21%
2	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	1.25	$131,600	$112,961	21%
3	New JerseyState	1.22	$119,840	$110,147	18%
4	New YorkState	1.06	$107,550	$95,600	21%
5	District of ColumbiaState	1.01	$104,270	$91,225	24%
6	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	0.98	$100,270	$88,892	24%
7	GeorgiaState	0.95	$79,950	$85,600	21%
8	OregonState	0.94	$87,460	$84,913	22%
9	Rhode IslandState	0.93	$84,250	$83,831	21%
10	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	0.93	$76,290	$83,651	19%
11	IllinoisState	0.92	$81,080	$83,244	19%
12	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	0.92	$79,590	$82,734	23%
13	ConnecticutState	0.91	$88,260	$82,026	21%
14	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	0.91	$79,950	$82,593	24%
15	Columbus, OHMetro	0.91	$76,930	$82,278	20%
16	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	0.91	$88,450	$82,050	24%
17	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.90	$87,980	$81,088	28%
18	TennesseeState	0.88	$73,020	$79,803	21%
19	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	0.88	$77,260	$79,486	25%
20	FloridaState	0.87	$79,920	$78,739	26%
21	NevadaState	0.87	$78,480	$78,323	22%
22	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	0.87	$78,660	$79,055	23%
23	MinnesotaState	0.86	$76,360	$77,918	20%
24	PennsylvaniaState	0.86	$75,460	$77,794	21%
25	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	0.86	$74,850	$78,132	24%
26	OhioState	0.85	$69,350	$76,715	18%
27	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	0.85	$80,850	$76,418	25%
28	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	0.85	$79,070	$76,396	24%
29	UtahState	0.84	$76,350	$76,198	23%
30	WashingtonState	0.84	$81,550	$76,002	28%
31	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	0.84	$86,680	$75,836	30%
32	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.84	$74,810	$75,949	28%
33	MassachusettsState	0.83	$80,970	$74,627	33%
34	MissouriState	0.83	$66,460	$75,011	19%
35	TexasState	0.83	$71,710	$75,010	23%
36	ColoradoState	0.82	$78,060	$74,061	28%
37	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	0.82	$83,850	$73,877	37%
38	AlabamaState	0.80	$63,340	$72,721	18%
39	DelawareState	0.80	$72,650	$71,931	22%
40	MarylandState	0.80	$79,350	$72,665	25%
41	WisconsinState	0.80	$66,390	$71,928	20%
42	MaineState	0.79	$71,320	$71,463	22%
43	MichiganState	0.79	$65,720	$71,203	20%
44	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	0.79	$66,470	$71,627	23%
45	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	0.79	$65,640	$70,962	22%
46	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	0.78	$64,550	$70,163	24%
47	LouisianaState	0.77	$62,920	$69,834	20%
48	OklahomaState	0.77	$61,600	$69,605	19%
49	KansasState	0.75	$60,600	$67,333	20%
50	North CarolinaState	0.75	$63,700	$67,479	25%
51	ArizonaState	0.74	$67,320	$66,720	27%
52	IndianaState	0.73	$59,870	$66,155	21%
53	IowaState	0.73	$58,550	$65,639	20%
54	South DakotaState	0.73	$60,260	$66,366	19%
55	WyomingState	0.72	$60,420	$64,968	20%
56	IdahoState	0.70	$61,150	$63,368	24%
57	VirginiaState	0.70	$65,900	$63,671	29%
58	North DakotaState	0.69	$57,870	$62,495	20%
59	KentuckyState	0.68	$54,550	$61,638	21%
60	HawaiiState	0.67	$66,190	$60,173	43%
61	South CarolinaState	0.67	$56,030	$60,902	27%
62	NebraskaState	0.64	$52,580	$57,464	24%
63	New HampshireState	0.64	$61,560	$58,075	31%
64	MississippiState	0.63	$48,100	$56,722	22%
65	West VirginiaState	0.61	$46,660	$55,416	22%
66	MontanaState	0.60	$52,580	$54,544	26%
67	VermontState	0.60	$55,660	$54,302	31%
68	AlaskaState	0.57	$54,060	$51,831	30%
69	ArkansasState	0.50	$38,820	$44,983	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).