Posted: January 21, 2026 | Categories: News

Best & Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals (2026)

STEM workers are in fierce demand, and not just in the global epicenter of high tech known as Silicon Valley. According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics analysis, STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — professions are expected to grow 8.1% between 2024 and 2034, compared to just 2.7% for all other occupations. In addition, the median annual STEM wage is $103,580, compared to $48,000 for all non-STEM occupations.

Given their growing demand, STEM careers today provide some of the most lucrative employment opportunities. They pay higher salaries and boast far fewer threats of unemployment compared with other types of jobs.

To determine the best markets for STEM professionals, WalletHub compared the 100 largest metro areas across 21 key metrics. Our data set ranges from per-capita job openings for STEM graduates to median wage growth for STEM jobs.

“Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) jobs tend to have high salaries, and job opportunities grow at three times the rate of non-STEM jobs. We can only expect this to accelerate in the future as new technologies continue to change the employment landscape. The top metro areas for STEM professionals have high-quality schools, an abundance of jobs and high pay. They’re also great places to live, but since many STEM jobs can be done remotely, you might also consider working in one of these areas while living elsewhere.”

CHIP LUPO, WALLETHUB ANALYST

In-Depth Look at the Atlanta Metro Area for STEM Professionals

The Atlanta, GA, metro area ranks second for STEM professionals, in part because the city has the third-most job openings for STEM graduates per capita and it also ranks among the top cities for gender equity in STEM occupations, with the ninth-smallest disparity between women and men in the field.

People in the Atlanta area can expect high earnings, too. The metro area ranks in the top 10 for median earnings from STEM jobs, at over $110,000 per year, adjusted for the cost of living. Atlanta is also good for tech education – students can find tech-related summer programs, and the area’s engineering universities rank third in the nation. Due to its promising conditions for this field, Atlanta is sometimes referred to as “Silicon Peach.”

To top things off, Atlanta is a great place to live in general, ranking third among the best cities for recreation and the best place for singles.

For the full article: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-metro-areas-for-stem-professionals/9200

Author: Adam McCann, WalletHub