Inflation is at record highs and fears of a recession and looming. Saving money and setting yourself up for financial success are of the utmost importance right now. It’s still a pretty good time to be hitting the job market. And there is good news for those in North Carolina looking to make a higher salary. A just-published study by HowToHome ranked North Carolina as the most affordable place to live with the greatest availability of 6 figure jobs.
What does that mean? Essentially that the two North Carolina cities that rank 1 and 2 on this list have the lowest cost of living while also having a high availability of jobs making over $100K. So your money will go farther living here than any other large metro in the country. No wonder people are flocking to Charlotte and Raleigh. Yes, those are the two cities taking the top 2 spots on this list. They also calculated rankings of small and mid-sized cities. A North Carolina city also ranked near the top for mid-sized. Great all-around news for our state!
Residents in North Carolina cities are able to enjoy a large number of well-paying jobs and a cost of living below the national average. And at this time that is a blessing! While some days it might not seem like (grocery shopping days for one), residing in NC allows your money to go farther. Many of the cities on this list are in the south, unsurprisingly.
How The Rankings Were Calculated
According to HowToHome: The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Bureau of Statistics and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. To determine the affordable metropolitan areas with the most six-figure jobs, researchers at HowtoHome.com calculated the share of employees in occupations where the median wage is over $100,000 and the cost of living is below the national average. In the event of a tie, the location with the greater total number of employees in occupations where the median wage is over $100,000 was ranked higher.
Keep reading to see if Charlotte or Raleigh gave North Carolina the crown in these rankings of the most affordable U.S. metropolitan areas with the most six-figure jobs. You can read the full HowToHome study here.
15. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 4.6%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 59,620
Cost of living (compared to average): -0.9%
14. Pittsburgh, PA
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 4.8%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 49,550
Cost of living (compared to average): -4.3%
13. Kansas City, MO-KS
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 5.1%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 52,030
Cost of living (compared to average): -5.3%
12. Rochester, NY
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 5.2%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 24,310
Cost of living (compared to average): -1.7%
11. Cleveland-Elyria, OH
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 5.2%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 49,820
Cost of living (compared to average): -7.0%
10. Columbus, OH
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 5.3%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 54,330
Cost of living (compared to average): -5.8%
9. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 5.7%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 58,680
Cost of living (compared to average): -6.5%
8. Salt Lake City, UT
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 6.1%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 45,530
Cost of living (compared to average): -2.3%
7. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 6.5%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 50,910
Cost of living (compared to average): -4.1%
6. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 7.3%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 71,600
Cost of living (compared to average): -3.0%
5. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 7.7%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 200,060
Cost of living (compared to average): -1.8%
4. Richmond, VA
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 8.0%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 49,400
Cost of living (compared to average): -4.6%
3. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 8.7%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 156,000
Cost of living (compared to average): -2.9%
2. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 11.7%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 141,090
Cost of living (compared to average): -5.4%
1. Raleigh-Cary, NC
Share of employees in 100K+ occupations: 11.8%
Total employees in 110k+ occupations: 74,860
Cost of living (compared to average): 633,260
