- Salaries are determined by several factors, including geography.
- Using data from the US Census Bureau , we looked at how much households bring in on average in the 30 biggest metropolitan areas in the US.
- Nineteen cities have an average income that exceeds the national mean household income of $84,525, nine of which are six figures.
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The average household income in the 30 biggest US cities, ranked
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Your earnings are likely to be more robust if you're living in a city with a higher cost of living. For example, a 30-year-old with a job in tech is likely to earn more working in an expensive city like New York City than they would working in a lower cost-of-living city like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Therefore, the average income varies from city to city. We consulted the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey to find the mean household income in the 30 biggest metropolitan areas in the United States. The survey includes data compiled in 2017 and defines household as "all the people who occupy a housing unit."
The national mean household income is $84,525 a year. About one-third of the cities on the list have an average income below that, leaving 19 cities that exceed the national average. Nine of those cities fare particularly well workers there earn an average of six figures.
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Below, see the average income in America's biggest US cities, ranked from lowest to highest paycheck.
30. Tampa, Florida
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Average household income: $74,499
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29. San Antonio, Texas
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Average household income: $77,001
28. Orlando, Florida
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Average household income: $77,135
27. Las Vegas, Nevada
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Average household income: $78,422
26. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Average household income: $80,012
25. Riverside, California
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Average household income: $81,378
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24. Detroit, Michigan
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Average household income: $81,606
23. Miami, Florida
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Average household income: $81,633
22. St. Louis, Missouri
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Average household income: $82,841
21. Cincinnati, Ohio
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Average household income: $83,111
20. Phoenix, Arizona
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Average household income: $83,688
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19. Kansas City, Missouri
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Average household income: $85,949
18. Charlotte, North Carolina
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Average household income: $85,987
17. Sacramento, California
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Average household income: $90,806
16. Atlanta, Georgia
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Average household income: $90,879
15. Dallas, Texas
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Average household income: $92,495
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14. Houston, Texas
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Average household income: $92,532
13. Portland, Oregon
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Average household income: $92,750
12. Chicago, Illinois
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Average household income: $95,010
11. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Average household income: $95,595
10. Los Angeles, California
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Average household income: $99,303
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9. Baltimore, Maryland
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Average household income: $101,124
8. Denver, Colorado
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Average household income: $101,249
7. Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Average household income: $101,405
6. San Diego, California
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Average household income: $103,215
5. Seattle, Washington
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Average household income: $109,619
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4. New York, New York
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Average household income: $110,849
3. Boston, Massachusetts
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Average household income: $116,561
2. Washington, DC
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Average household income: $128,402
1. San Francisco, California
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Average household income: $140,720
See Also:
- The 50 most expensive top private high schools in America
- Inside Eurostar's business lounge at London's St. Pancras train station, which has a free cocktail bar with its own brand of gin
- I visited outlandishly wealthy Dubai, known as the 'city of gold,' and was surprised by how much fun you can have even without billions
SEE ALSO: Here's what the typical American worker earns at every age
DON'T MISS: The salary you need to afford rent in every state, ranked
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