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BusinessWeekonline.com and Payscale.com looked at the 25 largest metro areas in the U.S. to find out which offered the best results for 20 jobs ranging from architects to nurses to financial analysts. Houston came out on top in nearly every job category. The local economy has made a big comeback in the wake of high oil and gas prices, rebounding from its tough post-Enron implosion days seven years ago. Three guesses which city fared the worst. Yep, New York because even when the salaries are higher than in other cities, when adjusted for cost of living, they lose a lot of purchasing power.
Here's a sampling of some jobs and average salaries. The salaries in parenthesis are adjusted for cost of living:
Civil Engineer:
Top-earning city: Houston $78,000 ($87,000)
Bottom-earning city:Boston $72,300 ($53,200)
Marketing manager
Top-earning city: Housiton $78,100 ($87,900)
Bottom-earning city: Boston $72,300 ($53,200)
Registered nurse
Top-earning city: Houston $68,800 ($77,400)
Bottom-earning city: Los Angeles $79,200 ($52,800)
Veterinary Technologist/Technician
Top-earning city: Detroit $34,500 ($34,500)
Bottom-earning city: San Francisco $41,600 ($24,300)
Software engineer
Top-earning city: Houston $91,200 ($102,500)
Bottom-earning city: San Francisco $113,900 ($66,400)
For a look at all 20 jobs and best three and worst three cities to
work in them, check out the full list.
