Some of the happiest people who move to the U.S. for work live in Miami, according to the annual Expat Insider survey by InterNations, an online resource group for expats around the world.
The ranking, which surveyed more than 20,000 expat workers in 187 countries, identified the top 82 cities where people were most satisfied with their working-abroad arrangement.
The best cities for expat workers overall are generally across Asia and Europe, and the only North American city to crack the top 10 is Montreal. The first U.S. city to appear on the list is Miami, which comes in at No. 27.
Florida's second-largest city is the easiest U.S. city to settle in as an expat, and newcomers generally feel welcome once they get there. In fact, 75% of expats in Miami say they feel at home in their new city, compared with 64% who feel that way in other cities around the world. While expats rate Miami highly for social activities, weather and friendliness, almost half rated the local transportation systems negatively.
According to Pew Research Center, about 14,700 people were approved to move to Miami between 2010 and 2016 to work on H-1B visas. About half had an advanced degree, and applicants were approved for an average salary of $70,600.
At 247,000 approvals, the New York metro area approved the most number of H-1B visa workers during the same time period, though New York City was in the bottom 10 cities of the overall Expat City Ranking. Coming in at No. 74, it was rated poorly for financial security, health and environment, work-life balance and local cost of living. However, 85% of expat workers said they enjoy the local leisure options offered in the city, and nearly two-thirds find it easy to get used to local culture.
For the ranking, expats rated 25 elements of living abroad that measured quality of life, getting settled, work-life satisfaction, financial security and housing, and local cost of living.
Here are the best U.S. cities for expat workers.
1. Miami, Florida
Overall global ranking: 27th
70% consider the local residents generally friendly
75% feel at home in this city
74% find it easy to get used to the local culture
72% rate their overall job satisfaction positively
59% are happy with their work-life balance
2. Houston, Texas
Overall global ranking: 35th
75% consider the local residents generally friendly
60% feel at home in this city
75% find it easy to get used to the local culture
69% rate their overall job satisfaction positively
53% are happy with their work-life balance
3. Chicago, Illinois
Overall global ranking: 37th
81% consider the local residents generally friendly
69% feel at home in this city
72% find it easy to get used to the local culture
66% rate their overall job satisfaction positively
55% are happy with their work-life balance
4. Boston, Massachusetts
Overall global ranking: 58th
58% consider the local residents generally friendly
62% feel at home in this city
65% find it easy to get used to the local culture
66% are rate their overall job satisfaction positively
55% are happy with their work-life balance
5. New York City, New York
Overall global ranking: 74th
64% consider the local residents generally friendly
67% feel at home in this city
66% find it easy to get used to the local culture
61% rate their overall job satisfaction positively
41% are happy with their work-life balance
6. Los Angeles, California
Overall global ranking: 76th
62% consider the local residents generally friendly
62% feel at home in this city
68% find it easy to get used to the local culture
60% rate their overall job satisfaction positively
59% are happy with their work-life balance
7. San Francisco, California
Overall global ranking: 77th
74% consider the local residents generally friendly
56% feel at home in this city
72% find it easy to get used to the local culture
60% rate their overall job satisfaction positively
47% are happy with their work-life balance
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