Career.io has conducted an analysis to identify the cities with the lowest levels of competition for "highly paid" jobs, defined as those offering double the local average wage. The analysis is based on data from LinkedIn and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, focusing on in-person jobs in the 200 largest U.S. cities by population, as well as the five largest cities in each state.
Low Competition Cities
The following cities exhibit remarkably low levels of competition for highly paid jobs, with almost zero applications for these roles daily:
- Parkersburg, West Virginia: high-salary jobs pay $72,051 or more
- Nampa, Idaho: high-salary jobs pay $83,200 or more
- Butte, Montana: high-salary jobs pay $86,154 or more
- Sitka, Alaska: high-salary jobs pay $106,496 or more
- Grand Island, Nebraska: high-salary jobs pay $83,574 or more
- Kearney, Nebraska: high-salary jobs pay $78,333 or more
- Dover, New Hampshire: high-salary jobs pay $81,702 or more
- Laredo, Texas: high-salary jobs pay $66,269 or more
- Morgantown, West Virginia: high-salary jobs pay $80,163 or more
- Olathe, Kansas: high-salary jobs pay $92,809 or more
- Competition rates reflect a scarcity of candidates rather than a lower-paying job market, as the salaries for these high-paying jobs are relative to the median salaries in each city or state.
- Despite the availability of high-paying job listings in cities like Parkersburg, there is a notable absence of applications for these roles.
- Highly paid but less competitive job roles are predominant in the healthcare and sales sectors, contributing to the low competition levels in these cities.
Conversely, cities like Salt Lake City exhibit intense competition, with around 35 applicants daily for every highly-paid open job. Inland cities, such as St. Louis and Denver, present stiffer competition in the high-paying job market compared to coastal cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.
These insights provide valuable perspectives for individuals seeking highly paid job opportunities in a favorable or challenging job market.