Best cities for a User Experience Researcher
The best cities for user experience researchers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Oakland, CA, based on factors like average salary and job availability per capita. Jobs and pay for user experience researchers vary across the country, but we've determined the ten best cities for user experience researchers in the U.S.
Whether you're starting your career as a user experience researcher or considering a move, this list of the best cities for user experience researchers to live in will help you decide. These aren't just the best-paying cities for user experience researchers. We also consider how easy it is to find work as a user experience researcher. While the absolute best city for user experience researchers is San Francisco, CA, there are plenty of other great places to consider.
Keep reading to learn more about the best cities for user experience researchers in 2024.
If you're looking for a User Experience Researcher job, here are five companies hiring now:
10 best cities for User experience researchers In 2025
1. San Francisco, CA
User Experience Researcher Jobs in San FranciscoTotal User Experience Researcher jobs: 71 Average annual salary: $122,451 Lowest 10 percent warn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location quotient: 11.21 2. Seattle, WA
User Experience Researcher Jobs in SeattleTotal User Experience Researcher jobs: 169 Average annual salary: $121,634 Lowest 10 percent warn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location quotient: 6.86 3. Oakland, CA
User Experience Researcher Jobs in OaklandTotal User Experience Researcher jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $122,274 Lowest 10 percent warn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location quotient: 3.23 4. Austin, TX
User Experience Researcher Jobs in AustinTotal User Experience Researcher jobs: 77 Average annual salary: $93,520 Lowest 10 percent warn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location quotient: 3.95 5. Sacramento, CA
User Experience Researcher Jobs in SacramentoTotal User Experience Researcher jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $122,087 Lowest 10 percent warn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location quotient: 2.47 6. New York, NY
User Experience Researcher Jobs in New YorkTotal User Experience Researcher jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $109,657 Lowest 10 percent warn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location quotient: 2.84 7. San Jose, CA
User Experience Researcher Jobs in San JoseTotal User Experience Researcher jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $121,549 Lowest 10 percent warn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000 Location quotient: 2.52 8. Anchorage, AK
User Experience Researcher Jobs in AnchorageTotal User Experience Researcher jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $113,133 Lowest 10 percent warn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location quotient: 2.03 9. Philadelphia, PA
User Experience Researcher Jobs in PhiladelphiaTotal User Experience Researcher jobs: 32 Average annual salary: $88,439 Lowest 10 percent warn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location quotient: 2.27 10. Portland, OR
User Experience Researcher Jobs in PortlandTotal User Experience Researcher jobs: 13 Average annual salary: $105,663 Lowest 10 percent warn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location quotient: 1.31
Choose from 10+ customizable user experience researcher resume templates
Choose from a variety of easy-to-use user experience researcher resume templates and get expert advice from Zippia’s AI resume writer along the way. Using pre-approved templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your user experience researcher resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Best cities for user experience researchers
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Oakland, CA
- Austin, TX
- Sacramento, CA
- New York, NY
- San Jose, CA
- Anchorage, AK
- Philadelphia, PA
- Portland, OR
- (71 user experience researcher jobs)
- (169 user experience researcher jobs)
- (9 user experience researcher jobs)
- (77 user experience researcher jobs)
- (15 user experience researcher jobs)
- (15 user experience researcher jobs)
- (52 user experience researcher jobs)
- (3 user experience researcher jobs)
- (32 user experience researcher jobs)
- (13 user experience researcher jobs)
Detailed list of the best cities for a User Experience Researcher
Rank![]() ![]() | City![]() ![]() | Average Salary![]() ![]() | Lowest 10% Earn![]() ![]() | Population![]() ![]() | Job Count![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | San Francisco, CA | $122,451 | $88,000 | 870,887 | 71 |
2 | Seattle, WA | $121,634 | $89,000 | 704,352 | 169 |
3 | Oakland, CA | $122,274 | $88,000 | 420,005 | 9 |
4 | Austin, TX | $93,520 | $68,000 | 947,890 | 77 |
5 | Sacramento, CA | $122,087 | $88,000 | 495,234 | 15 |
6 | New York, NY | $109,657 | $79,000 | 8,537,673 | 15 |
7 | San Jose, CA | $121,549 | $87,000 | 1,025,350 | 52 |
8 | Anchorage, AK | $113,133 | $89,000 | 298,192 | 3 |
9 | Philadelphia, PA | $88,439 | $64,000 | 1,567,872 | 32 |
10 | Portland, OR | $105,663 | $77,000 | 639,863 | 13 |
11 | Saint Paul, MN | $90,354 | $67,000 | 302,398 | 19 |
12 | Plano, TX | $91,360 | $67,000 | 286,057 | 18 |
13 | Fremont, CA | $121,871 | $87,000 | 233,136 | 3 |
14 | Irvine, CA | $109,601 | $79,000 | 266,122 | 17 |
15 | Minneapolis, MN | $90,368 | $67,000 | 413,651 | 28 |
16 | Dallas, TX | $91,645 | $67,000 | 1,317,929 | 21 |
17 | Raleigh, NC | $82,981 | $60,000 | 458,880 | 26 |
18 | Los Angeles, CA | $110,815 | $80,000 | 3,976,322 | 49 |
19 | Irving, TX | $91,637 | $67,000 | 238,289 | 12 |
20 | Wichita, KS | $87,672 | $64,000 | 389,902 | 3 |
21 | Brookhaven, NY | $110,394 | $79,000 | 486,040 | - |
22 | Stockton, CA | $121,667 | $87,000 | 307,072 | - |
23 | Islip, NY | $110,159 | $79,000 | 335,543 | - |
24 | San Antonio, TX | $93,725 | $68,000 | 1,492,510 | 4 |
25 | Oyster Bay, NY | $110,015 | $79,000 | 293,214 | - |
26 | Hempstead, NY | $109,843 | $79,000 | 759,757 | - |
27 | Reno, NV | $97,469 | $70,000 | 245,255 | - |
28 | Albuquerque, NM | $88,728 | $64,000 | 559,277 | 5 |
29 | Fresno, CA | $118,860 | $85,000 | 522,053 | - |
30 | Boston, MA | $89,914 | $64,000 | 673,184 | 82 |
31 | Jersey City, NJ | $101,824 | $73,000 | 264,152 | 13 |
32 | Newark, NJ | $101,775 | $73,000 | 281,764 | 6 |
33 | El Paso, TX | $94,659 | $69,000 | 683,080 | - |
34 | Houston, TX | $93,204 | $68,000 | 2,303,482 | 12 |
35 | Laredo, TX | $93,569 | $68,000 | 257,156 | - |
36 | Phoenix, AZ | $87,597 | $63,000 | 1,615,017 | 33 |
37 | Las Vegas, NV | $89,952 | $65,000 | 632,912 | 6 |
38 | Corpus Christi, TX | $93,430 | $68,000 | 325,733 | - |
39 | Nashville, TN | $76,101 | $56,000 | 660,388 | 22 |
40 | Scottsdale, AZ | $87,530 | $63,000 | 246,645 | 5 |
41 | Washington, DC | $105,645 | $76,000 | 681,170 | 55 |
42 | Lubbock, TX | $93,153 | $68,000 | 252,506 | - |
43 | New Orleans, LA | $90,117 | $66,000 | 391,495 | 2 |
44 | Fort Worth, TX | $91,864 | $67,000 | 854,113 | - |
45 | Madison, WI | $80,742 | $60,000 | 252,551 | 11 |
46 | Buffalo, NY | $107,703 | $78,000 | 256,902 | 1 |
47 | Arlington, TX | $91,810 | $67,000 | 392,772 | - |
48 | Denver, CO | $88,656 | $65,000 | 693,060 | 80 |
49 | Atlanta, GA | $83,644 | $61,000 | 472,522 | 75 |
50 | Columbus, OH | $74,698 | $55,000 | 860,090 | 40 |
Highest paying cities for user experience researchers
Rank![]() ![]() | City![]() ![]() | Avg. User Experience Researcher Salary![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|
1 | San Francisco, CA | $122,451 |
2 | Seattle, WA | $121,634 |
3 | Albany, NY | $110,964 |
4 | Portland, OR | $105,663 |
5 | Washington, DC | $105,645 |
6 | Jersey City, NJ | $101,824 |
7 | Portland, ME | $97,792 |
8 | Austin, TX | $93,520 |
9 | Minneapolis, MN | $90,368 |
10 | Boston, MA | $89,914 |
11 | Boulder, CO | $88,813 |
12 | Philadelphia, PA | $88,439 |
13 | Phoenix, AZ | $87,597 |
14 | Atlanta, GA | $83,644 |
15 | Raleigh, NC | $82,981 |
16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $82,683 |
17 | Madison, WI | $80,742 |
18 | Arlington, VA | $80,336 |
19 | Detroit, MI | $79,635 |
20 | Chicago, IL | $79,196 |