Best U.S. Cities for Jobs That Afford Comfortable Lifestyles

If you’re a recent college graduate looking to launch your career or a mid-level professional ready for a pivot, you might be in the market for an entry-level job — and wondering how much you can expect to get paid.

Less than half (48%) of Americans say they have emergency or rainy day funds that would cover their expenses for three months, and about 20% of them report not having enough money to pay rent or a mortgage, according to Pew Research Center.

Related: Young U.S. Workers Expect $200,000 Salaries By Age 30. Here’s What They Actually Earn — How Do Your Stats Compare?

Whether or not your next gig affords a comfortable lifestyle has a lot to do with its location.

Online lender NetCredit compared local entry-level job wages to local costs of living using MIT’s Living Wage Calculator and ranked states and cities based on the percentage of job ads with salaries surpassing the local living wage to figure out where people have the best chance at success.

As it turns out, Bakersfield, California, comes out on top, with 100% of entry-level job ads on Indeed advertising wages above the local living wage, and Fargo, North Dakota, follows in second, with a 93.67% ratio, per the data.

Related: U.S. Workers Have Found a Way to Increase Their Salaries Fast. But the Strategy Could Hurt Them in Retirement.

Entry-level job applicants in Honolulu, Hawaii, may fare the worst. Just 27.69% of new job posts list a salary in line with the living wage, according to NetCredit. The research also showed low ratios in Virginia Beach, Virginia (32.33%); Miami, Florida (34.3%); and Boise, Idaho (38.72%).

Check out NetCredit’s infographics below for a fuller picture of the research and livable wages across the U.S.:

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of NetCredit}

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of NetCredit}