Looking for engineering or technology work? Seattle ranked best U.S. city for STEM workers

Jared Gendron

If you’re looking for career opportunities in the Pacific Northwest in the fields of science, technology, engineering or math, then you’re in the right place.

A new report from personal finance website WalletHub ranks Seattle as the best overall metro area for STEM professionals in the U.S. The Emerald City outranked Austin, Texas in second place, followed by Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco and San Jose.

WalletHub scored the nation’s 100 largest metro areas based on three criteria: relevant professional opportunities, STEM-friendliness and quality of life. Seattle received first for professional opportunities. The metro areas were graded on characteristics such as the number of job openings for STEM graduates, STEM employment growth, quality of engineering universities and the amount of spending for research and development.

Other sources have provided optimistic data on the state of STEM employment opportunities overall. The number of STEM occupations in the U.S. is expected to grow 10.8% by 2031, according to projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In comparison, non-STEM employment opportunities are projected to grow by 4.9%.

Jobs in STEM fields cross a wide range of industries like education, health care, computer science and engineering. Examples of STEM positions include civil engineers, political scientists, biochemists, nurse practitioners, software developers and statisticians.

STEM jobs near Seattle

The Pacific Northwest has one of the highest concentrations of STEM workers in the nation, at more than 270,000 positions, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average annual wage, at around $123,000, is also one of the highest compared to other metro areas across the nation.

Examples of world-known STEM companies in the Seattle area include Microsoft in Redmond, and Amazon in Seattle. However, thousands of workers in the tech industry have been getting laid off since 2022. On Wednesday, Microsoft began cutting 10,000 of its positions, while Amazon is purging 18,000 jobs.

WalletHub also found that the Seattle metropolitan area ranked fifth for the quality of engineering universities. Seattle is home to Seattle University and the University of Washington, which is ranked as the nation’s 24th best engineering school by U.S. News and World Report. Other universities include:

  • DigiPen Institute of Technology: This Redmond university offers degrees in computer science, engineering and video game design.

  • Seattle Central College: This institution gives students multiple pathways to follow, whether it’s chemistry, geology, data analytics or web design

  • Bellevue College: The college in Bellevue provides several focus areas from life science, earth and space science, chemistry, sustainability and more.

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