Top 10 American Cities Where Six-Figure Jobs are Available

Looking to make a six-figure salary this year? Your chance of being among the 10 percent of full-time workers in the U.S. who earn more than $100k a year depends, in part, on where you live.

Big pay tends to be concentrated in big cities and their surrounding areas, according to Alex Douzet, president of TheLadders.com , a $100k+ job search site. It is also concentrated in certain sectors, notably finance and information technology, followed by health care, biopharma, engineering, aerospace and defense.

To get a sense of where employees have the best chance of making big money, TheLadders analyzed hiring activity across the top 20 metro areas and identified the markets with the most favorable ratio of job seekers to $100k+ job postings. It also highlighted the hottest sectors within each metro area for six-figure salaries.

1. Washington, D.C.

Job Seekers/Job Postings Ratio: 2:1
Hot Sectors: IT, Aerospace/Defense, Software

City Snapshot
Median Salary: $45,671
Median Home Price: $308,700
Unemployment Rate: 6.7%

See All Jobs, Washington, D.C.

2. San Francisco, Calif.

Job Seekers/Job Postings Ratio: 2:1
Hot Sectors: Financial Services, Software, IT

City Snapshot
Median Salary: $48,960
Median Home Price: $493,300
Unemployment Rate: 11.0

See All Jobs, San Francisco, Calif.

3. Boston, Mass.

Job Seekers/Job Postings Ratio: 3:1
Hot Sectors: Financial Services, Biotech/Pharma, Software

City Snapshot
Median Salary: $45,757
Median Home Price: $332,900
Unemployment Rate: 8.3

See All Jobs, Boston, Mass

4. Seattle, Washington

Job Seekers/Job Postings Ratio: 3:1
Hot Sectors: Software, Financial Services, E-Commerce

City Snapshot
Median Salary: $46,384
Median Home Price: $306,200
Unemployment Rate: 9.0

See All Jobs, Seattle, Washington

5. San Diego, Calif

Job Seekers/Job Postings Ratio: 3:1
Hot Sectors: Engineering, IT, Financial Services

City Snapshot
Median Salary: $41,538
Median Home Price: $359,500
Unemployment Rate: 11.0

See All Jobs, San Diego, Calif

6. Sacramento, Calif

Job Seekers/Job Postings Ratio: 3:1
Hot Sectors: Software, IT, Aerospace & Defense

City Snapshot
Median Salary: $43,410
Median Home Price: $180,500
Unemployment Rate: 13.1

See All Jobs, Sacramento, Calif

7. New York, New York

Job Seekers/Job Postings Ratio: 4:1
Hot Sectors: Financial Services, IT, Business Services

City Snapshot
Median Salary: $45,101
Median Home Price: $382,300
Unemployment Rate: 9.3

See All Jobs, New York, New York

8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Job Seekers/Job Postings Ratio: 5:1
Hot Sectors: Biotech & Pharma, Financial Services, Health Care

City Snapshot
Median Salary: $41,766
Median Home Price: $215,900
Unemployment Rate: 9.4

See All Jobs, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

9. Houston, Texas

Job Seekers/Job Postings Ratio: 5:1
Hot Sectors: Energy, Oil & Gas, Engineering, Construction

City Snapshot
Median Salary: $37,440
Median Home Price: $153,100
Unemployment rate: 8.5

See All Jobs, Houston, Texas

10. Chicago, Illinois

Job Seekers/Job Postings Ratio: 6:1
Hot Sectors: Financial Services, Software, IT

City Snapshot
Median Salary: $41,219
Median Home Price: $199,200
Unemployment Rate: 11.3

See All Jobs, Chicago, Illinois