The 50 state spread runs from Mississippi at 38,000 USD median household to Massachusetts at 96,000. Total atlas coverage at 18 cities.
The United States runs the widest cost and salary spread in the developed world. Median household income runs from New York metro 87,000 USD and San Francisco 116,000 down to Jackson Mississippi at 38,000 and Brownsville Texas at 41,000. Healthcare costs vary by factor of 4 across state lines; college tuition by factor of 6. Federal income tax applies uniformly; state income tax ranges from zero (Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Washington, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Wyoming) to 13.3 percent (California top bracket).
1 New York for the salaried professional. 2 San Francisco and the Bay Area for tech. 3 Austin for the lower tax tech alternative. 4 Miami for the Latin American gateway and no state income tax. 5 Los Angeles for entertainment and a cheaper coastal lifestyle than the Bay.
H1B (employer sponsored, lottery, 65,000 plus 20,000 advanced degree cap a year). L1 (intra company transfer). O1 (extraordinary ability). EB5 (investor at 800,000 USD plus). E2 (treaty investor for citizens of 80 countries). Green card path runs 2 to 14 years depending on category and country of birth. Indian and Chinese applicants in EB2/EB3 backlogs face the longest waits.