NextChapter

Best all-round cities for remote workers

San Francisco is the best all-round city for remote workers in the United States, with a score of 95 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 San Francisco, CA: 95 / 100
  • #2 Boston, MA: 91 / 100
  • #3 Austin, TX: 91 / 100
  • 100 cities ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1San Francisco CA95 / 100
  2. 2Boston MA91 / 100
  3. 3Austin TX91 / 100
  4. 4Reston VA88 / 100
  5. 5Eden Prairie MN85 / 100
  6. 6Washington DC85 / 100
  7. 7Des Moines IA84 / 100
  8. 8Ann Arbor MI84 / 100
  9. 9New York NY81 / 100
  10. 10Santa Clara CA81 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: San Francisco leads on 95 / 100, and #10 Santa Clara is at 81 / 100.
  • Ann Arbor reaches #8 on a sample of 362 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • New York is the largest market in the top ten, with 22,145 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 200 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Remote work is attached to a city by the employer's base. This list weighs how many openings are remote, how many there are and what the pay is worth locally, to show which cities hire remotely in volume.

How to use it

If you want a remote role, the top cities show where the employers are. You can live elsewhere and still apply to them as a remote candidate.

The top 25

  1. 1

    San Francisco CA

    95 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    8%
    Pay after cost of living
    $186k
    Remote openings
    972

    Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation

    Based on 12,335 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Francisco

  2. 2

    Boston MA

    91 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    10%
    Pay after cost of living
    $157k
    Remote openings
    540

    Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Confidential, Takeda Development Center Americas

    Based on 5,338 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Boston

  3. 3

    Austin TX

    91 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $168k
    Remote openings
    457

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare

    Based on 6,257 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Austin

  4. 4

    Reston VA

    88 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    12%
    Pay after cost of living
    $158k
    Remote openings
    101

    Hiring most here: ICF International, CACI International, Anduril Industries

    Based on 828 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Reston

  5. 5

    Eden Prairie MN

    85 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    45%
    Pay after cost of living
    $141k
    Remote openings
    162

    Hiring most here: Unitedhealth Group, LHC Group, Illinois Tool Works

    Based on 363 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Eden Prairie

  6. 6

    Washington DC

    85 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $149k
    Remote openings
    318

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Confidential, Shield AI

    Based on 4,748 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Washington

  7. 7

    Des Moines IA

    84 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    17%
    Pay after cost of living
    $147k
    Remote openings
    68

    Hiring most here: Principal Financial Group, OpenLoop, Olsson

    Based on 394 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Des Moines

  8. 8

    Ann Arbor MI

    84 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    12%
    Pay after cost of living
    $159k
    Remote openings
    45

    Hiring most here: May Mobility, Torc Robotics, Thomson Reuters

    Based on 362 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Ann Arbor

  9. 9

    New York NY

    81 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    5%
    Pay after cost of living
    $150k
    Remote openings
    1,137

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley

    Based on 22,145 openings.

    Jobs and employers in New York

  10. 10

    Santa Clara CA

    81 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    5%
    Pay after cost of living
    $191k
    Remote openings
    82

    Hiring most here: Nvidia, Pure Storage, Advanced Micro Devices

    Based on 1,689 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Clara

  11. 11

    Dallas TX

    79 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $138k
    Remote openings
    311

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Shield AI, Texas Instruments

    Based on 4,778 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Dallas

  12. 12

    Seattle WA

    79 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    4%
    Pay after cost of living
    $162k
    Remote openings
    249

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 5,635 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Seattle

  13. 13

    Atlanta GA

    79 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    6%
    Pay after cost of living
    $138k
    Remote openings
    375

    Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent

    Based on 5,877 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Atlanta

  14. 14

    Santa Ana CA

    78 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    10%
    Pay after cost of living
    $154k
    Remote openings
    29

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, First American Financial, Anduril

    Based on 277 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Ana

  15. 15

    Raleigh NC

    78 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    9%
    Pay after cost of living
    $133k
    Remote openings
    143

    Hiring most here: First Citizens Bank, Dewberry, MaintainX

    Based on 1,515 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Raleigh

  16. 16

    Chicago IL

    77 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    6%
    Pay after cost of living
    $135k
    Remote openings
    516

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Confidential, Mars

    Based on 8,033 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  17. 17

    Denver CO

    76 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $133k
    Remote openings
    209

    Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon

    Based on 2,996 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Denver

  18. 18

    McLean VA

    76 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    5%
    Pay after cost of living
    $158k
    Remote openings
    62

    Hiring most here: Capital One, The MITRE, Steampunk

    Based on 1,182 openings.

    Jobs and employers in McLean

  19. 19

    Oakland CA

    75 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    6%
    Pay after cost of living
    $163k
    Remote openings
    35

    Hiring most here: Pacific Gas & Electric, Blue Shield of California, Fivetran

    Based on 609 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Oakland

  20. 20

    Sacramento CA

    74 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $131k
    Remote openings
    105

    Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, BKF Engineers

    Based on 1,431 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sacramento

  21. 21

    Waltham MA

    73 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    5%
    Pay after cost of living
    $182k
    Remote openings
    31

    Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry

    Based on 634 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Waltham

  22. 22

    United PA

    71 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    12%
    Pay after cost of living
    $138k
    Remote openings
    28

    Based on 234 openings.

  23. 23

    Philadelphia PA

    70 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    6%
    Pay after cost of living
    $132k
    Remote openings
    114

    Hiring most here: Confidential, GSK, Comcast

    Based on 1,960 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Philadelphia

  24. 24

    Minneapolis MN

    70 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $124k
    Remote openings
    97

    Hiring most here: Mortenson, Ameriprise Certificate, U.S. Bank

    Based on 1,313 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Minneapolis

  25. 25

    San Diego CA

    69 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    4%
    Pay after cost of living
    $139k
    Remote openings
    145

    Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics

    Based on 3,240 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Diego

Full ranking

All 100 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1San Francisco CA95 / 10012,335
2Boston MA91 / 1005,338
3Austin TX91 / 1006,257
4Reston VA88 / 100828
5Eden Prairie MN85 / 100363
6Washington DC85 / 1004,748
7Des Moines IA84 / 100394
8Ann Arbor MI84 / 100362
9New York NY81 / 10022,145
10Santa Clara CA81 / 1001,689
11Dallas TX79 / 1004,778
12Seattle WA79 / 1005,635
13Atlanta GA79 / 1005,877
14Santa Ana CA78 / 100277
15Raleigh NC78 / 1001,515
16Chicago IL77 / 1008,033
17Denver CO76 / 1002,996
18McLean VA76 / 1001,182
19Oakland CA75 / 100609
20Sacramento CA74 / 1001,431
21Waltham MA73 / 100634
22United PA71 / 100234
23Philadelphia PA70 / 1001,960
24Minneapolis MN70 / 1001,313
25San Diego CA69 / 1003,240
26Harrisburg PA69 / 100300
27Wilmington DE68 / 100507
28Chantilly VA68 / 100553
29Palo Alto CA68 / 1001,263
30Los Angeles CA67 / 1005,439
31Redwood City CA67 / 100514
32Pittsburgh PA67 / 1001,592
33Brooklyn NY67 / 100693
34Hartford CT66 / 100366
35Nashville TN66 / 1001,737
36Arlington VA66 / 1002,079
37Mountain View CA65 / 1001,637
38Phoenix AZ65 / 1002,922
39Columbus OH64 / 1002,024
40Portland OR64 / 100837
41Rockville MD63 / 100383
42San Jose CA62 / 1002,552
43Madison WI62 / 100526
44Milwaukee WI62 / 100909
45Bellevue WA61 / 1001,455
46Alpharetta GA60 / 100614
47Indianapolis IN59 / 1001,496
48Alexandria VA59 / 100618
49Sunnyvale CA58 / 1001,655
50Miami FL58 / 1002,485
51Herndon VA57 / 100849
52Louisville KY57 / 1002,319
53Kansas City MO56 / 100916
54Las Vegas NV55 / 100980
55Detroit MI55 / 100786
56Houston TX55 / 1004,621
57St. Louis MO55 / 100596
58Menlo Park CA54 / 100449
59Richmond VA54 / 1001,209
60Orlando FL54 / 1001,343
61Irvine CA54 / 1001,587
62Salt Lake City UT54 / 1001,102
63Addison TX53 / 100215
64Cambridge MA53 / 1001,204
65Tampa FL52 / 1001,845
66Baltimore MD51 / 1001,158
67Charlotte NC51 / 1003,402
68Somerville MA50 / 100354
69Bethesda MD50 / 100470
70San Mateo CA49 / 100960
71Santa Monica CA49 / 100327
72Englewood CO49 / 100266
73Tallahassee FL48 / 100840
74Durham NC48 / 100804
75Albany NY47 / 100397
76White Plains NY46 / 100229
77Burlington MA46 / 100227
78Boulder CO45 / 100454
79San Carlos CA44 / 100211
80San Antonio TX44 / 1001,352
81Plano TX43 / 1001,109
82Jersey City NJ43 / 100679
83Boise ID43 / 100391
84Buffalo NY42 / 100461
85Schaumburg IL42 / 100242
86Irving TX42 / 100948
87Huntsville AL41 / 1001,196
88Oklahoma City OK41 / 100581
89Princeton NJ41 / 100439
90Alameda CA40 / 100215
91Tempe AZ40 / 100688
92Cincinnati OH39 / 1001,451
93Fremont CA39 / 100510
94Birmingham AL38 / 100617
95Reno NV36 / 100311
96Springfield IL35 / 100323
97Long Beach CA35 / 100876
98Torrance CA35 / 100745
99Norfolk VA34 / 100342
100Omaha NE33 / 100577

How this ranking works

A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): remote share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 30%, remote openings 30%.

A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most.

Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 200 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for remote workers?
San Francisco is the best all-round city for remote workers in the United States, with a score of 95 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
100 cities have at least 200 openings, so the list has 100 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): remote share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 30%, remote openings 30%. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most. Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for remote workers,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-remote-workers

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-remote-workers">Best all-round cities for remote workers (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

The job market, once a week

One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.

Applying and hearing nothing back?

Find out where you stand: your odds, the jobs that fit you and a plan for the week ahead. Free. No résumé needed.

Already a member? Log in

Get my Market Reality Assessment

Run a workforce board, job center or economic development office, or hire in the places and industries on this list?

Leave your work email. We'll send how organizations use NextChapter to reach job seekers.

See how organizations use it