Direct occupational wage
The annual median comes from the detailed BLS occupation row for the exact metropolitan area. Suppressed values remain unavailable; a neighboring market never fills the gap.
Six decision questions
Choose a career, then inspect the markets behind the median.
These pages are not an open-ended SOC directory. Each occupation was selected deliberately, passes broad direct-metro coverage and receives its own interpretation, counter-signals and next steps.
29-1141 · 365 metros
Registered nurses
Where does registered-nurse pay carry current asking rent with room to inspect the local job base?
- Median metro wage
- $84,220
- Median rent / wage
- 20.4%
- RPP coverage
- 365
- LQ ≥ 1.0
- 231
Elementary school teachers
Which metros place elementary-teacher pay on firmer ground against current asking rent?
- Median metro wage
- $61,665
- Median rent / wage
- 28.3%
- RPP coverage
- 368
- LQ ≥ 1.0
- 207
Software developers
Where do software-developer wages retain more room after current asking rent?
- Median metro wage
- $120,995
- Median rent / wage
- 15.5%
- RPP coverage
- 366
- LQ ≥ 1.0
- 41
Heavy truck drivers
Which metros pair truck-driver pay with lower asking-rent pressure and a visible logistics job base?
- Median metro wage
- $57,155
- Median rent / wage
- 32.6%
- RPP coverage
- 378
- LQ ≥ 1.0
- 199
Electricians
Where do electrician wages face less pressure from current asking rent without ignoring local trade concentration?
- Median metro wage
- $62,490
- Median rent / wage
- 28.6%
- RPP coverage
- 376
- LQ ≥ 1.0
- 184
Accountants and auditors
Which metros give accounting and auditing pay more room against current asking rent?
- Median metro wage
- $77,160
- Median rent / wage
- 23.5%
- RPP coverage
- 378
- LQ ≥ 1.0
- 82
One comparison grammar
Pay, housing pressure and labor depth answer different questions.
RentMarker refuses to collapse these fields into a career score. The useful part is seeing where the signals agree—and where a seemingly attractive wage or rent ratio needs a second look.
Separately dated asking rent
Zillow ZORI is annualized and divided by the unrounded wage. It is an observed-rent index, not a quote for a unit near a specific employer or school district.
Employment concentration
Location quotient shows whether the occupation has a larger local employment share than nationally. It is context for labor-market depth, not a count of open jobs or a hiring forecast.
Use your own offer
Replace the median only inside your scenario.
The Career-to-Rent explorer lets you enter an annual offer locally in the browser. Published BLS values remain visible and unchanged, while the scenario ratio updates across the same directly matched metros.
Source ledger
The releases behind every career page.
Periods are printed independently because a May 2025 modeled wage estimate, a 2024 regional price level and June 2026 asking rent do not describe the same moment.
bea rppBEA Regional Price Parities — metropolitan price levels2024 Regional Price Parities (released 2026-02-19); history 2008-2024 · retrieved 2026-08-03bls oewsBLS OEWS — occupation employment and wagesMay 2025 OEWS estimates (released 2026-05-15) · retrieved 2026-08-03zillow zoriZillow ZORI — metro market rentsMetro_zori_uc_sfrcondomfr_sm_sa_month.csv · retrieved 2026-07-26