NextChapter

Best all-round cities for remote workers in the Northeast

Boston is the best all-round city for remote workers in the Northeast, with a score of 91 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Boston, MA: 91 / 100
  • #2 New York, NY: 78 / 100
  • #3 Waltham, MA: 76 / 100
  • 26 cities ranked in the Northeast
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Boston MA91 / 100
  2. 2New York NY78 / 100
  3. 3Waltham MA76 / 100
  4. 4United PA76 / 100
  5. 5Harrisburg PA72 / 100
  6. 6Philadelphia PA70 / 100
  7. 7Hartford CT70 / 100
  8. 8Brooklyn NY66 / 100
  9. 9Pittsburgh PA64 / 100
  10. 10Cambridge MA62 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Boston leads on 91 / 100, and #10 Cambridge is at 62 / 100.
  • United reaches #4 on a sample of 234 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 100 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

    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

  2. 2

    New York NY

    78 / 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

  3. 3

    Waltham MA

    76 / 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

  4. 4

    United PA

    76 / 100

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

    Based on 234 openings.

  5. 5

    Harrisburg PA

    72 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $143k
    Remote openings
    22

    Hiring most here: GSK, Michels, Parsons

    Based on 300 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Harrisburg

  6. 6

    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

  7. 7

    Hartford CT

    70 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    9%
    Pay after cost of living
    $130k
    Remote openings
    33

    Hiring most here: CVS HEALTH, Hartford HealthCare, Eversource Energy

    Based on 366 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Hartford

  8. 8

    Brooklyn NY

    66 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    7%
    Pay after cost of living
    $126k
    Remote openings
    49

    Hiring most here: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Williams-Sonoma, Etsy

    Based on 693 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Brooklyn

  9. 9

    Pittsburgh PA

    64 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    5%
    Pay after cost of living
    $138k
    Remote openings
    77

    Hiring most here: PNC Financial Services Group, Highmark Health, UPMC

    Based on 1,592 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Pittsburgh

  10. 10

    Cambridge MA

    62 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    2%
    Pay after cost of living
    $187k
    Remote openings
    26

    Hiring most here: Harvard University, Biogen, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

    Based on 1,204 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cambridge

  11. 11

    Somerville MA

    54 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    3%
    Pay after cost of living
    $155k
    Remote openings
    12

    Hiring most here: Formlabs, Tulip Interfaces, Generate Biomedicines

    Based on 354 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Somerville

  12. 12

    Jersey City NJ

    51 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    2%
    Pay after cost of living
    $149k
    Remote openings
    16

    Hiring most here: DTCC, JPMorgan Chase, Verisk Analytics

    Based on 679 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Jersey City

  13. 13

    White Plains NY

    50 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    6%
    Pay after cost of living
    $122k
    Remote openings
    13

    Hiring most here: New York Power Authority, FormativGroup, RWE Clean Energy

    Based on 229 openings.

    Jobs and employers in White Plains

  14. 14

    Albany NY

    49 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    6%
    Pay after cost of living
    $110k
    Remote openings
    22

    Hiring most here: KPMG, New York State, Broadview Credit Union

    Based on 397 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Albany

  15. 15

    Burlington MA

    47 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    4%
    Pay after cost of living
    $140k
    Remote openings
    9

    Hiring most here: Veracode, Vericel, Tufts Medicine Care AT Home

    Based on 227 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Burlington

  16. 16

    Princeton NJ

    45 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    2%
    Pay after cost of living
    $176k
    Remote openings
    9

    Hiring most here: Genmab A/S, Otsuka, ZS Associates

    Based on 439 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Princeton

  17. 17

    Watertown MA

    45 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    2%
    Pay after cost of living
    $193k
    Remote openings
    3

    Hiring most here: Tutor Intelligence, Kymera Therapeutics, Treeline Biosciences

    Based on 146 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Watertown

  18. 18

    Buffalo NY

    43 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    4%
    Pay after cost of living
    $119k
    Remote openings
    20

    Hiring most here: Moog Military Aircraft, M&T Bank, Moog

    Based on 461 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Buffalo

  19. 19

    Syracuse NY

    34 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    3%
    Pay after cost of living
    $111k
    Remote openings
    13

    Hiring most here: Upstate Medical University, Hidden Level, HII Mission Technologies

    Based on 419 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Syracuse

  20. 20

    Newark NJ

    34 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    2%
    Pay after cost of living
    $127k
    Remote openings
    10

    Hiring most here: Broadridge Financial Solutions, Amazon, Audible

    Based on 455 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Newark

  21. 21

    Lexington MA

    31 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    1%
    Pay after cost of living
    $162k
    Remote openings
    2

    Hiring most here: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab), Takeda Development Center Americas, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

    Based on 253 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lexington

  22. 22

    Stamford CT

    30 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    2%
    Pay after cost of living
    $140k
    Remote openings
    6

    Hiring most here: Philip Morris International, Gartner, Charter Communications

    Based on 336 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Stamford

  23. 23

    Parsippany NJ

    22 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    1%
    Pay after cost of living
    $135k
    Remote openings
    4

    Hiring most here: Langan, Clark Davis Associates, Ferrero North America

    Based on 274 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Parsippany

  24. 24

    Quincy MA

    22 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    0%
    Pay after cost of living
    $152k
    Remote openings
    0

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Anduril, J.Jill

    Based on 169 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Quincy

  25. 25

    Rochester NY

    14 / 100

    Remote share of openings
    1%
    Pay after cost of living
    $94k
    Remote openings
    8

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund, Rochester Institute of Technology

    Based on 537 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rochester

Full ranking

All 26 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Boston MA91 / 1005,338
2New York NY78 / 10022,145
3Waltham MA76 / 100634
4United PA76 / 100234
5Harrisburg PA72 / 100300
6Philadelphia PA70 / 1001,960
7Hartford CT70 / 100366
8Brooklyn NY66 / 100693
9Pittsburgh PA64 / 1001,592
10Cambridge MA62 / 1001,204
11Somerville MA54 / 100354
12Jersey City NJ51 / 100679
13White Plains NY50 / 100229
14Albany NY49 / 100397
15Burlington MA47 / 100227
16Princeton NJ45 / 100439
17Watertown MA45 / 100146
18Buffalo NY43 / 100461
19Syracuse NY34 / 100419
20Newark NJ34 / 100455
21Lexington MA31 / 100253
22Stamford CT30 / 100336
23Parsippany NJ22 / 100274
24Quincy MA22 / 100169
25Rochester NY14 / 100537
26Woburn MA8 / 100180

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 100 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 in the northeast?
Boston is the best all-round city for remote workers in the Northeast, with a score of 91 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
26 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 26 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 in the Northeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-remote-workers-in-the-northeast

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

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

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