Best US Cities for Bank Tellers
Top US cities for Bank Tellers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $50,100 | 1.45× | +$14,100 |
| 2 | New York City, NY | $46,700 | 1.32× | +$10,700 |
| 3 | Irvine, CA | $46,200 | 1.30× | +$10,200 |
| 4 | Oakland, CA | $44,800 | 1.35× | +$8,800 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $44,000 | 1.22× | +$8,000 |
| 6 | Honolulu, HI | $43,600 | 1.30× | +$7,600 |
| 7 | Yonkers, NY | $43,500 | 1.20× | +$7,500 |
| 8 | Scottsdale, AZ | $42,900 | 1.18× | +$6,900 |
| 9 | Los Angeles, CA | $41,500 | 1.22× | +$5,500 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $41,400 | 1.05× | +$5,400 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $50,100 | $24/hr |
| 2 | New York City, NY | $46,700 | $22/hr |
| 3 | Irvine, CA | $46,200 | $22/hr |
| 4 | Oakland, CA | $44,800 | $22/hr |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $44,000 | $21/hr |
| 6 | Honolulu, HI | $43,600 | $21/hr |
| 7 | Yonkers, NY | $43,500 | $21/hr |
| 8 | Scottsdale, AZ | $42,900 | $21/hr |
| 9 | Los Angeles, CA | $41,500 | $20/hr |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $41,400 | $20/hr |
| 11 | San Diego, CA | $41,300 | $20/hr |
| 12 | Miami, FL | $41,300 | $20/hr |
| 13 | Plano, TX | $41,100 | $20/hr |
| 14 | Anchorage, AK | $41,000 | $20/hr |
| 15 | Newark, NJ | $40,800 | $20/hr |
| 16 | Seattle, WA | $40,500 | $19/hr |
| 17 | Tampa, FL | $40,500 | $19/hr |
| 18 | Long Beach, CA | $40,500 | $19/hr |
| 19 | Anaheim, CA | $40,500 | $19/hr |
| 20 | Wilmington, DE | $40,000 | $19/hr |
| 21 | Chula Vista, CA | $39,800 | $19/hr |
| 22 | Dallas, TX | $39,600 | $19/hr |
| 23 | St. Petersburg, FL | $39,600 | $19/hr |
| 24 | Frisco, TX | $39,500 | $19/hr |
| 25 | Minneapolis, MN | $39,200 | $19/hr |
| 26 | Charlotte, NC | $39,100 | $19/hr |
| 27 | Phoenix, AZ | $38,700 | $19/hr |
| 28 | Philadelphia, PA | $38,700 | $19/hr |
| 29 | Atlanta, GA | $38,700 | $19/hr |
| 30 | Salt Lake City, UT | $38,700 | $19/hr |
| 31 | Portland, OR | $38,500 | $19/hr |
| 32 | Sacramento, CA | $38,500 | $19/hr |
| 33 | Riverside, CA | $38,500 | $19/hr |
| 34 | Milwaukee, WI | $38,300 | $18/hr |
| 35 | St. Paul, MN | $38,200 | $18/hr |
| 36 | Denver, CO | $38,000 | $18/hr |
| 37 | Nashville, TN | $37,800 | $18/hr |
| 38 | Madison, WI | $37,800 | $18/hr |
| 39 | Kansas City, MO | $37,700 | $18/hr |
| 40 | Austin, TX | $37,300 | $18/hr |
| 41 | Baltimore, MD | $37,300 | $18/hr |
| 42 | Stockton, CA | $37,300 | $18/hr |
| 43 | Aurora, CO | $37,300 | $18/hr |
| 44 | Hialeah, FL | $37,300 | $18/hr |
| 45 | Omaha, NE | $37,200 | $18/hr |
| 46 | Las Vegas, NV | $37,000 | $18/hr |
| 47 | Chandler, AZ | $37,000 | $18/hr |
| 48 | Pittsburgh, PA | $36,800 | $18/hr |
| 49 | Henderson, NV | $36,500 | $18/hr |
| 50 | Reno, NV | $36,500 | $18/hr |
| 51 | Gilbert, AZ | $36,500 | $18/hr |
| 52 | Charleston, SC | $36,500 | $18/hr |
| 53 | Orlando, FL | $36,300 | $17/hr |
| 54 | Columbus, OH | $36,000 | $17/hr |
| 55 | Detroit, MI | $36,000 | $17/hr |
| 56 | Raleigh, NC | $36,000 | $17/hr |
| 57 | Virginia Beach, VA | $36,000 | $17/hr |
| 58 | Buffalo, NY | $36,000 | $17/hr |
| 59 | Chesapeake, VA | $36,000 | $17/hr |
| 60 | North Las Vegas, NV | $36,000 | $17/hr |
| 61 | Boise, ID | $36,000 | $17/hr |
| 62 | Fresno, CA | $36,000 | $17/hr |
| 63 | Worcester, MA | $36,000 | $17/hr |
| 64 | Cleveland, OH | $35,700 | $17/hr |
| 65 | Colorado Springs, CO | $35,700 | $17/hr |
| 66 | Bakersfield, CA | $35,700 | $17/hr |
| 67 | Winston-Salem, NC | $35,700 | $17/hr |
| 68 | Norfolk, VA | $35,500 | $17/hr |
| 69 | Jacksonville, FL | $35,200 | $17/hr |
| 70 | Mesa, AZ | $35,200 | $17/hr |
| 71 | Lincoln, NE | $35,200 | $17/hr |
| 72 | Houston, TX | $35,000 | $17/hr |
| 73 | Fort Worth, TX | $35,000 | $17/hr |
| 74 | Tucson, AZ | $35,000 | $17/hr |
| 75 | Birmingham, AL | $35,000 | $17/hr |
| 76 | Glendale, AZ | $35,000 | $17/hr |
| 77 | Garland, TX | $35,000 | $17/hr |
| 78 | Spokane, WA | $35,000 | $17/hr |
| 79 | Arlington, TX | $34,700 | $17/hr |
| 80 | Tallahassee, FL | $34,700 | $17/hr |
| 81 | Albuquerque, NM | $34,500 | $17/hr |
| 82 | New Orleans, LA | $34,500 | $17/hr |
| 83 | Fort Wayne, IN | $34,500 | $17/hr |
| 84 | San Antonio, TX | $34,200 | $16/hr |
| 85 | Grand Rapids, MI | $34,200 | $16/hr |
| 86 | Cincinnati, OH | $34,000 | $16/hr |
| 87 | Lexington, KY | $34,000 | $16/hr |
| 88 | Corpus Christi, TX | $34,000 | $16/hr |
| 89 | Greensboro, NC | $34,000 | $16/hr |
| 90 | Knoxville, TN | $34,000 | $16/hr |
| 91 | El Paso, TX | $33,700 | $16/hr |
| 92 | St. Louis, MO | $33,700 | $16/hr |
| 93 | Indianapolis, IN | $33,500 | $16/hr |
| 94 | Louisville, KY | $33,500 | $16/hr |
| 95 | Memphis, TN | $33,200 | $16/hr |
| 96 | Oklahoma City, OK | $33,200 | $16/hr |
| 97 | Toledo, OH | $33,000 | $16/hr |
| 98 | Lubbock, TX | $33,000 | $16/hr |
| 99 | Wichita, KS | $32,500 | $16/hr |
| 100 | Mobile, AL | $32,500 | $16/hr |
Does location actually decide Bank Teller pay?
This is a career where location is not negotiable — the work has to be done on site. That makes the 54% gap across these metros consequential in a way it is not for desk-based occupations: capturing the top of this list means moving to it.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
The number that ranks these metros is not the number you live on. In San Francisco, $50,100 against $3,000/month rent leaves roughly $14,100 a year after housing. In Mobile, $32,500 against $850 leaves about $22,300. The bottom of the pay list beats the top once rent is subtracted — which is the whole reason to look past headline salary.
Why these metros and not others
The metros at the top are not simply the expensive ones; they are where the hiring is. San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); New York City (JPMorgan Chase, NYC Health + Hospitals); Irvine (University of California, Irvine, Broadcom). Depth of demand for finance work is what lifts pay above the local baseline, and it is why two equally costly cities can pay this role differently.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.