Top Metros for Property Appraisers: New York Ranks Highest as West Coast Hubs Deliver the Strongest Pay

Across the top 10 metros in LaborCove’s rankings for property appraisers and assessors, the data show clear differences in how markets combine pay levels, employment scale, and overall Geography Scores. Some metros, such as San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, place notably above the national median salary while having comparatively modest employment counts. Others, such as New York–Newark–Jersey City and Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, pair higher‑than‑national pay with the largest supplied employment counts among these top markets. The LaborCove Geography Scores demonstrate that no single metric determines ranking position. For example, Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim has a higher median salary than New York–Newark–Jersey City, yet New York–Newark–Jersey City holds the higher Geography Score and rank in the LaborCove results.

At the national level, property appraisers and assessors have a reported median annual salary of $67,960 and employment of 57,070. These figures provide a baseline for comparing how individual metros differ in pay levels and scale. The occupation’s supplied national projected employment growth rate is 3.8%. This is a national occupational projection and does not indicate how employment may change in any specific metro or state. When comparing the top metros to this national baseline, several locations shown in the LaborCove rankings report median salaries above the national median for property appraisers and assessors. Exact differences depend on the metro, as detailed in later sections.

New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY‑NJ holds Rank #1 in the LaborCove metro results for property appraisers and assessors, with a Geography Score of 76.89. It also has the largest supplied employment count among the listed metros at 2,590, compared with the national employment benchmark of 57,070 for the occupation. Its median annual salary of $82,920 is higher than the national median of $67,960. Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA ranks #2 with a Geography Score of 73.88. It has an employment count of 2,240, which is smaller than New York–Newark–Jersey City’s count of 2,590 but still within the higher end of the supplied metro employment values. Its median annual salary of $91,600 is higher than both the national median salary of $67,960 and New York–Newark–Jersey City’s median salary of $82,920. Despite Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim reporting a higher median salary than New York–Newark–Jersey City, New York–Newark–Jersey City ranks higher in the LaborCove results and has the higher Geography Score. This shows that the Geography Score can differ from a simple ordering by salary alone.

Several West Coast metros associated with large technology and professional‑services hubs combine higher‑than‑national salaries with modest‑to‑midrange employment counts for property appraisers and assessors. San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA is ranked #3 with a Geography Score of 63.90. It reports a median salary of $105,580 and employment of 650, with its median salary higher than the national median of $67,960. Compared with New York–Newark–Jersey City’s employment of 2,590 and Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim’s 2,240, San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont’s employment count is smaller. San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA holds Rank #4 with a Geography Score of 61.86 and a median salary of $81,760, which is higher than the national median salary of $67,960. Employment for San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara is not supplied in the evidence, so no direct employment comparison can be made for that metro.

Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA‑NH is ranked #5 with a LaborCove Geography Score of 57.35. It has a median annual salary of $94,230, which is higher than the national median of $67,960, and an employment count of 740. Compared with San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont’s employment of 650, Boston–Cambridge–Newton has a larger supplied employment count. Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA ranks #6 with a Geography Score of 57.15, very close to Boston–Cambridge–Newton’s score. Its median salary of $98,020 is higher than the national median of $67,960. Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue’s employment count of 590 is smaller than Boston–Cambridge–Newton’s employment of 740. Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN‑WI is ranked #7 with a Geography Score of 57.14 and a median salary of $99,800, higher than the national median salary for the occupation. Its employment count of 700 is larger than Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue’s employment of 590.

San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad, CA appears at Rank #8 with a Geography Score of 55.87. Its median salary of $99,850 is higher than the national median salary of $67,960. The supplied employment count is 440, which is smaller than Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington’s employment of 700 and New York–Newark–Jersey City’s employment of 2,590. Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom, CA is ranked #9 with a Geography Score of 52.03. It has a median salary of $96,220, higher than the national median salary of $67,960. Its employment count of 370 is smaller than San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad’s count of 440. Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR‑WA completes the top‑10 list at Rank #10 with a Geography Score of 51.19. Its median salary of $75,890 is higher than the national median salary of $67,960. Employment for Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro is not supplied, so it cannot be directly compared on that metric within this dataset.

The top‑ranked metros for property appraisers and assessors in this LaborCove analysis all report median salaries above the national median of $67,960, yet they differ substantially in employment counts and Geography Scores. For example, New York–Newark–Jersey City and Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim have larger supplied employment counts than San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad and Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom, while also reporting higher median salaries than the national benchmark. The rankings also show that a higher salary does not automatically correspond to a higher LaborCove Geography Score. Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim reports a higher median salary than New York–Newark–Jersey City but has a lower Geography Score and a lower rank in the LaborCove results. Because the Geography Score blends multiple inputs, it should be interpreted as a summary of how each metro compares within LaborCove’s framework rather than a prediction of personal outcomes. Individuals can use these rankings as structured reference points while weighting factors such as desired region, pay expectations relative to the national median, and the reported employment scale in each metro.

LaborCove builds its rankings from authoritative occupational data combined with the LaborCove Geography Score methodology. For this article, national context for property appraisers and assessors is based on a reported national median annual salary of $67,960, national employment of 57,070, and a supplied national projected employment growth rate of 3.8%. All geographic salary and employment figures are metro‑level values from the same underlying data series. The OEWS‑based observations used for salaries and employment counts refer to May 2025. The 2026 label supplied in the evidence is a product and report year, not the underlying observation date. LaborCove’s Geography Scores summarize how each metro performs on the included metrics, but the specific weight of any one input is not disclosed in the supplied evidence. Rankings should therefore be used as one structured input into career planning, considered alongside an individual’s priorities, constraints, and additional research beyond what is covered here.