5 Best U.S. Cities to Find a Job in Wireless

With a constantly evolving workplace and job market, more people are asking themselves key questions. One of the biggest? Where is the best place to be located for a particular job or industry?

Wireless, of course, is a big and growing area of interest. More than ever, people want no wires, even down to eliminating power cords. We use wireless to cover cellular devices, Wi-Fi devices, and radio devices — all of which are, indeed, wireless. 

Here are the top 5 U.S. cities to be in for wireless-related work.

1. New York City

New York City makes this list because there is simply a wealth of jobs. It is one of the biggest metro areas in the world, which makes it a massive job market. The best part about that is that it is entirely possible to get a really good job — and not even have to travel extensively. Manhattan is the center of numerous industries. But the NYC job market isn’t limited to the island of Manhattan. New York City covers the five boroughs, and when you count this as the NYC Metro area, we are talking about a good chunk of northern New Jersey and parts of (barely) upstate New York and Connecticut. 

New York City has three major airports, along with a couple of smaller ones, so getting anywhere you need to go isn’t terribly challenging. On top of that, you are right along the Northeast corridor, which means generally easy access to I-95 and Amtrak, opening up a lot of additional possibilities.

Now, the downside of course is the cost of living. It is not the cheapest area to live in, and I’ve known people that take a long commute from the Poconos in Pennsylvania for a job in the city, due to housing costs and other factors. 

2. San Jose, California

If New York is the center for a lot of industries, San Jose and the rest of Silicon Valley are ground zero for much of the tech world. Many wireless companies have operations based in the Silicon Valley area. This is a perfect spot for you if you really want to work on things like delivering actual solutions-designing and deploying vendor gear.

The downside here? As with New York, Silicon Valley has a reputation for a rough commute and higher than the average cost of living. But, some of the commuting could be mitigated by the recent shift to remote work, depending on your employer. The upside is, if you moved here to work for Company X, and grew out of that opportunity, there are many other wireless companies in the Valley.

3. Austin, Texas

Honestly, I probably could have used just about any major Texas metro area here. The state in general has seen a surge in new residents. One big appeal? No state income tax (though it’s not the only state with that perk. Florida and Tennessee come to mind as well).

Many people are moving to Texas, as are many companies. With movement comes jobs, and there were already quite a few significant employers in the state, such as the Department of Defense, and of course, the oil and gas industries.

See also: The Future of Wi-Fi: What 6e and 7 Mean for You.

4. Atlanta, Georgia

When I was thinking about this one, a few reasons drew me to Atlanta. For one, there needed to be someplace in the American southeast that was going to appeal to a wireless engineer. For another, access to a world-class airport would mean you could go anywhere and work anywhere, all out of a nice home base.

Also, the Atlanta area has a number of big companies calling it home. One major telecommunications service provider (AT&T) works out of the area, and they’d certainly qualify as a big player in the wireless world.

5. Washington, DC

Last but not least, our nation’s capital. As with a few others on the list, there is so much going on here that you can land a wireless engineering job and virtually never have to get on a plane if you don’t want to. While DC is, itself, a very specific spot on the map, this locale covers northern Virginia and also a chunk of Maryland.

What is it about DC that could appeal to a wireless engineer? For one thing, there's plenty of government work; whether we are talking politics and supporting that infrastructure, or agencies like the FCC and FBI (all of them have a significant presence in this area). As with every other company in this day and age, they require a great wireless office experience, which is where you come in as a wireless engineer.

And as with other major metro areas, DC has access to several major airports and, as with New York, sits on that I-95 corridor and is served by Amtrak. While you could work in DC and never have to travel too far, it also is not too hard to make it to Philadelphia or New York in a couple of hours.

Honorable Mention: Phoenix, Arizona

This one might seem somewhat peculiar, but let me explain why Phoenix made my list, albeit as my honorable mention.

This list is all about the top cities for wireless engineers in the United States. Phoenix is an up-and-coming city, with plenty to see and do and enjoy — and really nice weather.

But, the real reason this one lands here is for one week in late February each year. If you are a wireless engineer, specifically a Wi-Fi engineer, there is a conference each February that brings to Phoenix approximately 300 of the best and brightest the Wi-Fi community has to offer. 

Wrapping Up

Admittedly, putting out a “Top 5” list can be somewhat subjective. However, all of the cities noted here provide plenty of opportunities to work and enjoy life — while basically staying local, should that be your preference. 

At the same time, consulting wireless engineers can also do really well if they don’t mind the travel. If you go that route, you will want to find a nice balance between quality of life, cost of living, and ease of access to transportation that gets you where you need to be. You might find a couple of those in a far-off ranch in the corner of Montana, but you may have travel issues that hinder things. 

However, thanks to the pandemic, a lot more is getting done remotely. Pre-pandemic, some engineers had to be on-site 75% of the year; but in the last couple of years that time has dropped. With less on-site time being required, it is giving us the flexibility to perhaps move a little further out, while still being close enough to the action.