Operations Research Analysts · SOC 15-2031

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Operations Research Analystss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for operations research analysts. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (6 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 184 metro areas

Operations Research Analysts: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Colorado Springs, CO	$140,590	170	0.5
2	Lexington Park, MD	$135,300	390	5.5
3	Huntsville, AL	$132,000	350	1.3
4	Peoria, IL	$129,300	130	0.8
5	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$127,810	490	0.3
6	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$127,600	8,080	2.6
7	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$123,360	920	0.8
8	Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH	$122,570	410	1.1
9	Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$119,020	80	0.2
10	Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL	$118,810	80	0.9
11	York-Hanover, PA	$117,740	30	0.2
12	Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	$115,920	240	1.9
13	Las Cruces, NM	$114,150	130	1.6
14	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	$114,070	470	0.6
15	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$110,560	2,050	0.9
16	Richmond, VA	$109,650	1,020	1.5
17	New Haven, CT	$109,540	80	0.3
18	Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	$109,110	50	0.1
19	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$106,380	4,270	1.1
20	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$105,570	60	0.3
21	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$105,360	410	0.4
22	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	$105,180	1,360	1.0
23	Columbus, OH	$104,970	670	0.6
24	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$104,680	50	0.5
25	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$104,640	220	0.7

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Operations Research Analysts overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.