NextChapter

Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the West Coast

Mountain View leads the West Coast for AI skills: 45% of its professional openings ask for them, against 20% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Mountain View, CA: 45%
  • #2 San Francisco, CA: 41%
  • #3 Palo Alto, CA: 37%
  • 71 cities ranked in the West Coast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 20% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Mountain View CA45%
  2. 2San Francisco CA41%
  3. 3Palo Alto CA37%
  4. 4San Mateo CA34%
  5. 5Menlo Park CA32%
  6. 6Sunnyvale CA29%
  7. 7Santa Clara CA28%
  8. 8Bellevue WA28%
  9. 9Seattle WA26%
  10. 10Redwood City CA25%

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Mountain View (45%) is well clear of Redwood City at #10 (25%).
  • Menlo Park reaches #5 on a sample of 449 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • San Francisco is the largest market in the top ten, with 12,335 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

Some labor markets ask for AI skills in a large share of postings, others in very few. The share tells you how far AI has moved from a specialist skill into ordinary job requirements in that place.

How to use it

Compare your own city to the top of the list. A gap is a reason to build one AI skill and show it on your résumé before you apply, not a reason to move.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Mountain View CA

    45%

    AI-skill openings
    736
    All openings
    1,637
    Median posted pay
    $213k

    Hiring most here: Intuit, Google, Waymo

    Based on 1,637 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mountain View

  2. 2

    San Francisco CA

    41%

    AI-skill openings
    5,026
    All openings
    12,335
    Median posted pay
    $215k

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

    Based on 12,335 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Francisco

  3. 3

    Palo Alto CA

    37%

    AI-skill openings
    472
    All openings
    1,263
    Median posted pay
    $206k

    Hiring most here: SpaceX, Rivian Automotive, Stanford Health Care

    Based on 1,263 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Palo Alto

  4. 4

    San Mateo CA

    34%

    AI-skill openings
    324
    All openings
    960
    Median posted pay
    $232k

    Hiring most here: Roblox, Verkada, Skydio

    Based on 960 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Mateo

  5. 5

    Menlo Park CA

    32%

    AI-skill openings
    144
    All openings
    449
    Median posted pay
    $195k

    Hiring most here: Snowflake, Hippocratic AI, Exponent

    Based on 449 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Menlo Park

  6. 6

    Sunnyvale CA

    29%

    AI-skill openings
    475
    All openings
    1,655
    Median posted pay
    $212k

    Hiring most here: Applied Intuition, Amazon, Wayve

    Based on 1,655 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sunnyvale

  7. 7

    Santa Clara CA

    28%

    AI-skill openings
    472
    All openings
    1,689
    Median posted pay
    $212k

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

    Based on 1,689 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Clara

  8. 8

    Bellevue WA

    28%

    AI-skill openings
    403
    All openings
    1,455
    Median posted pay
    $197k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta

    Based on 1,455 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bellevue

  9. 9

    Seattle WA

    26%

    AI-skill openings
    1,448
    All openings
    5,635
    Median posted pay
    $180k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 5,635 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Seattle

  10. 10

    Redwood City CA

    25%

    AI-skill openings
    131
    All openings
    514
    Median posted pay
    $193k

    Hiring most here: Corcept Therapeutics, SB Energy, C3 AI

    Based on 514 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Redwood City

  11. 11

    Foster City CA

    24%

    AI-skill openings
    126
    All openings
    517
    Median posted pay
    $232k

    Hiring most here: Gilead Sciences, Zoox, Replit

    Based on 517 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Foster City

  12. 12

    San Jose CA

    22%

    AI-skill openings
    568
    All openings
    2,552
    Median posted pay
    $200k

    Hiring most here: Super Micro Computer, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems

    Based on 2,552 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Jose

  13. 13

    Culver City CA

    21%

    AI-skill openings
    54
    All openings
    252
    Median posted pay
    $141k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Scopely, Apple

    Based on 252 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Culver City

  14. 14

    Santa Monica CA

    20%

    AI-skill openings
    66
    All openings
    327
    Median posted pay
    $167k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Snap, FIGS

    Based on 327 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Monica

  15. 15

    Redmond WA

    18%

    AI-skill openings
    213
    All openings
    1,166
    Median posted pay
    $209k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 1,166 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Redmond

  16. 16

    Newark CA

    18%

    AI-skill openings
    25
    All openings
    137
    Median posted pay
    $172k

    Hiring most here: Lucid Motors, Applied Industrial Technologies, Stratus Technologies

    Based on 137 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Newark

  17. 17

    Burbank CA

    18%

    AI-skill openings
    26
    All openings
    147
    Median posted pay
    $138k

    Hiring most here: Paramount, Crane, Sphere Entertainment

    Based on 147 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Burbank

  18. 18

    Oakland CA

    17%

    AI-skill openings
    101
    All openings
    609
    Median posted pay
    $181k

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

    Based on 609 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Oakland

  19. 19

    San Carlos CA

    14%

    AI-skill openings
    30
    All openings
    211
    Median posted pay
    $195k

    Hiring most here: 1X Technologies, Joby Aviation, Natera

    Based on 211 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Carlos

  20. 20

    Richland WA

    13%

    AI-skill openings
    14
    All openings
    105
    Median posted pay
    $132k

    Hiring most here: Battelle Memorial Institute (PNNL), Sargent & Lundy, Prosidian Consultng

    Based on 105 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Richland

  21. 21

    Milpitas CA

    13%

    AI-skill openings
    35
    All openings
    271
    Median posted pay
    $165k

    Hiring most here: Cisco Systems, Psiquantum, KLA

    Based on 271 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milpitas

  22. 22

    San Diego CA

    13%

    AI-skill openings
    409
    All openings
    3,240
    Median posted pay
    $155k

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

    Based on 3,240 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Diego

  23. 23

    Pleasanton CA

    12%

    AI-skill openings
    23
    All openings
    189
    Median posted pay
    $164k

    Hiring most here: Kaiser Permanente, 10X Genomics, IonQ

    Based on 189 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Pleasanton

  24. 24

    Fremont CA

    12%

    AI-skill openings
    62
    All openings
    510
    Median posted pay
    $169k

    Hiring most here: LAM Research, Coherent, Agility Robotics

    Based on 510 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Fremont

  25. 25

    Renton WA

    12%

    AI-skill openings
    16
    All openings
    134
    Median posted pay
    $149k

    Hiring most here: Hasbro, Paccar, Michels

    Based on 134 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Renton

Full ranking

All 71 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Mountain View CA45%1,637
2San Francisco CA41%12,335
3Palo Alto CA37%1,263
4San Mateo CA34%960
5Menlo Park CA32%449
6Sunnyvale CA29%1,655
7Santa Clara CA28%1,689
8Bellevue WA28%1,455
9Seattle WA26%5,635
10Redwood City CA25%514
11Foster City CA24%517
12San Jose CA22%2,552
13Culver City CA21%252
14Santa Monica CA20%327
15Redmond WA18%1,166
16Newark CA18%137
17Burbank CA18%147
18Oakland CA17%609
19San Carlos CA14%211
20Richland WA13%105
21Milpitas CA13%271
22San Diego CA13%3,240
23Pleasanton CA12%189
24Fremont CA12%510
25Renton WA12%134
26Santa Barbara CA12%154
27Emeryville CA11%122
28Kirkland WA11%167
29Irvine CA11%1,587
30Pasadena CA10%278
31Los Angeles CA10%5,439
32Santa Ana CA9%277
33Alameda CA9%215
34El Segundo CA9%959
35Santa Rosa CA8%154
36Berkeley CA8%249
37Bothell WA8%138
38San Leandro CA8%104
39Vancouver WA7%163
40Carlsbad CA7%313
41Glendale CA6%195
42Newport Beach CA6%310
43Everett WA6%195
44Hayward CA6%109
45Goleta CA5%110
46Roseville CA5%167
47Brea CA5%101
48Tacoma WA5%123
49Long Beach CA5%876
50Torrance CA5%745
51Hillsboro OR4%187
52Portland OR4%837
53Walnut Creek CA3%177
54Beverly Hills CA3%151
55Livermore CA3%117
56Sacramento CA2%1,431
57Salem OR2%123
58Riverside CA2%176
59Huntington Beach CA2%105
60Bakersfield CA2%116
61Beaverton OR2%120
62Palmdale CA2%132
63Orange CA1%142
64Corona CA1%148
65Modesto CA1%105
66Fresno CA1%214
67Eugene OR1%112
68Kent WA1%149
69Spokane WA1%157
70Anaheim CA0%180
71Stockton CA0%121

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool, found by our AI-skill tagger on the posting text.

The tagger looks for named skills (for example prompt engineering, machine learning, or a named AI tool), not the words "AI-powered" in a company blurb.

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 on employer career sites, verified in the last week. 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 cities for ai-skill jobs in the west coast?
Mountain View leads the West Coast for AI skills: 45% of its professional openings ask for them, against 20% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
71 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 71 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool, found by our AI-skill tagger on the posting text. The tagger looks for named skills (for example prompt engineering, machine learning, or a named AI tool), not the words "AI-powered" in a company blurb. 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 cities for AI-skill jobs in the West Coast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-ai-jobs-in-the-west-coast

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-ai-jobs-in-the-west-coast">Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the West Coast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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

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