Top 100 Best U.S. Cities For STEM Professionals, 2020

Sophie Ireland, PhDJanuary 23, 2020C-Suite Intelligence

Unsurprisingly, if you’re looking to pursue a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) the city of Seattle in Washington state is the best city in the country to find one. A report from WalletHub ranks Massachusetts’ capital Boston as the 2nd best city in the U.S. for STEM workers.

Austin, TX; Atlanta, GA; and Pittsburgh, PA join Austin in the top five. San Francisco CA has been identified as the 6th best markets in the country for people who work in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, ahead of such cities as Raleigh, NC (No. 7); Madison, WI (No. 8); Minneapolis, MN (No. 9); and San Diego, CA (No. 10).

The personal finance website compared the 100 biggest US cities across a data set ranging from per-capita job openings for STEM graduates to annual median wage growth for STEM workers. The study assessed three key dimensions: professional opportunities, STEM-friendliness and quality of life, and then evaluated 21 key metrics.

After San Diego, Sacramento, CA was ranked 11th followed by Orlando, FL (12th); Cincinnati, OH (13th); Columbus, OH (14th); and Salt Lake City, UT (15th).

Best U.S. Cities For STEM Professionals, 2020

Rank	City	State	Professional Opportunities	STEM-Friendliness	Quality of Life	Score
1	Seattle	WA	1	8	19	71.78
2	Boston	MA	7	1	64	68.04
3	Austin	TX	5	20	14	67.16
4	Atlanta	GA	6	22	13	66.39
5	Pittsburgh	PA	13	14	11	66.06
6	San Francisco	CA	3	3	63	65.27
7	Raleigh	NC	4	16	38	64.14
8	Madison	WI	21	18	17	63.2
9	Minneapolis	MN	26	19	23	61.3
10	San Diego	CA	27	31	7	60.97
11	Sacramento	CA	50	6	31	60.66
12	Orlando	FL	10	32	29	60.25
13	Cincinnati	OH	30	30	12	59.85
14	Columbus	OH	39	23	22	59.65
15	Salt Lake City	UT	8	41	26	58.8
16	Washington	DC	2	58	43	58.59
17	Hartford	CT	23	15	15	58.37
18	Chicago	IL	52	17	24	58.1
19	San Jose	CA	11	13	68	57.96
20	Worcester	MA	38	9	51	57.3
21	Tucson	AZ	29	39	27	57.12
22	Los Angeles	CA	60	4	57	56.55
23	Tampa	FL	25	36	35	56.49
24	Springfield	MA	89	2	8	55.97
25	Portland	OR	43	33	33	55.55
26	Denver	CO	14	34	53	55.05
27	Dayton	OH	18	51	1	55.04
28	Colorado Springs	CO	28	65	21	55
29	St. Louis	MO	16	55	41	54.87
30	Philadelphia	PA	41	12	66	54.6
31	Baltimore	MD	9	11	86	54.53
32	Boise	ID	59	61	9	53.53
33	Albany	NY	22	38	18	53.26
34	Houston	TX	48	24	52	53.01
35	Richmond	VA	20	35	60	52.65
36	Dallas	TX	31	27	61	52.41
37	Des Moines	IA	12	86	25	52.03
38	Phoenix	AZ	56	37	42	51.77
39	Rochester	NY	47	40	39	51.41
40	Allentown	PA	76	10	47	51.03
41	Omaha	NE	42	88	20	50.95
42	New York	NY	63	7	79	50.63
43	Charlotte	NC	24	52	58	50.43
44	Syracuse	NY	40	50	3	50.36
45	Spokane	WA	51	29	54	49.85
46	Harrisburg	PA	19	64	16	49.67
47	Nashville	TN	46	28	67	49.67
48	Greenville	SC	15	77	5	49.63
49	Buffalo	NY	57	43	49	49.04
50	New Haven	CT	85	5	78	48.53
51	Provo	UT	17	76	30	48.4
52	Knoxville	TN	32	69	48	47.96
53	San Antonio	TX	68	56	45	47.73
54	Cleveland	OH	77	25	70	47.03
55	Charleston	SC	33	95	32	46.58
56	Louisville	KY	34	73	65	46.22
57	Providence	RI	65	48	55	46.04
58	Albuquerque	NM	73	68	44	45.98
59	Las Vegas	NV	61	90	34	45.54
60	Oklahoma City	OK	55	91	37	45.41
61	Jacksonville	FL	64	60	56	45.38
62	Grand Rapids	MI	71	70	36	45.31
63	Indianapolis	IN	44	45	82	45.27
64	Kansas City	MO	49	72	62	44.91
65	Milwaukee	WI	69	49	69	44.35
66	Virginia Beach	VA	67	54	72	43.87
67	Columbia	SC	45	75	59	43.84
68	Miami	FL	58	44	81	43.83
69	Greensboro	NC	66	53	77	43.33
70	Ogden	UT	35	93	6	42.77
71	Detroit	MI	37	42	92	42.39
72	New Orleans	LA	79	83	50	42.03
73	Palm Bay	FL	36	94	10	41.68
74	El Paso	TX	95	74	46	41.05
75	Bakersfield	CA	83	59	74	41.01
76	Birmingham	AL	54	85	76	40.87
77	Youngstown	OH	80	78	2	40.87
78	Bridgeport	CT	53	47	93	40.46
79	Honolulu	HI	87	98	40	40
80	Riverside	CA	88	21	96	39.58
81	Akron	OH	74	79	71	39.24
82	Oxnard	CA	93	26	95	37.58
83	Augusta	GA	62	89	84	36.59
84	Winston	NC	81	66	89	36.48
85	Tulsa	OK	75	99	73	36.46
86	Scranton	PA	97	71	4	35.96
87	Wichita	KS	82	84	85	35.86
88	Fresno	CA	98	46	88	35.42
89	Baton Rouge	LA	72	96	80	35.29
90	Chattanooga	TN	78	92	83	34.72
91	North Port	FL	90	62	87	34.68
92	Memphis	TN	84	67	98	32.56
93	Lakeland	FL	92	81	75	32.43
94	McAllen	TX	100	80	28	32.25
95	Deltona	FL	94	63	97	32.21
96	Toledo	OH	91	82	91	31.38
97	Stockton	CA	96	57	99	31.37
98	Jackson	MS	70	100	94	30.34
99	Little Rock	AR	86	97	90	29.92
100	Cape Coral	FL	99	87	100	25.77

And if you’re wondering the worst, well, the study looked at that, too. Cape Coral, FL ranks as the worst city in America for anyone working in the Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) fields.

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Sophie Ireland, PhD

Sophie Ireland, PhD in Media Entrepreneurship & Strategy, is the Senior Economist and Finance Editor at CEOWORLD Magazine, where she brings over 15 years of editorial and consulting experience across finance, media strategy, and executive communications. Sophie began her career as a financial journalist, reporting on Wall Street during the global financial crisis, before transitioning into corporate branding for Fortune 500 firms.

Her dual background in journalism and PR gives her a rare edge—she not only understands what moves the markets, but also how companies manage messaging and reputation during pivotal business moments. At CEOWORLD, Sophie curates high-level editorial content that blends financial literacy with strategic storytelling. She focuses on leadership visibility, earnings communication, investor relations, and market forecasting.

Sophie holds a degree in Financial Journalism and a professional certification in Corporate Communications. She is a sought-after panelist on executive reputation and is active in mentoring women in finance and media. Through her work at CEOWORLD, she aims to equip leaders with the insights they need to communicate powerfully, lead decisively, and maintain resilience in rapidly evolving market landscapes.

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