Survey Researchers · SOC 19-3022

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Survey Researcherss

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

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for survey researchers. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (4 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 32 metro areas

Survey Researchers: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$110,540	180	0.1
2	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$109,350	Not published	Not published
3	Ann Arbor, MI	$103,140	60	0.3
4	New Haven, CT	$98,570	30	0.1
5	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$97,780	620	0.2
6	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	$92,160	40	0.0
7	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$87,620	190	0.0
8	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$87,570	Not published	Not published
9	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	$86,890	210	0.5
10	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$83,520	550	0.1
11	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	$83,190	40	0.0
12	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	$78,560	40	0.1
13	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$77,500	60	0.0
14	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$74,890	150	0.1
15	Charlottesville, VA	$74,010	40	0.3
16	Richmond, VA	$72,610	50	0.1
17	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	$70,400	100	0.1
18	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$69,620	60	0.0
19	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$69,590	110	0.1
20	Kansas City, MO-KS	$69,100	100	0.1
21	Omaha, NE-IA	$67,780	60	0.1
22	Eugene-Springfield, OR	$64,660	50	0.3
23	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$64,460	100	0.1
24	Albuquerque, NM	$60,820	80	0.2
25	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$59,210	Not published	Not published

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Survey Researchers 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.