This capital of Silicon Valley boasts a slew of STEM jobs -- those that focus on science, technology, engineering and math.

That's a key reason why San Jose is the No. 1 place for what the Brookings Institution calls "advanced industries" jobs, which offer high pay and high growth. In San Jose, such positions account for nearly a third of all jobs in the area.

The city is headquarters to Cisco Systems, Quantum Corp. and TiVo Inc., among others. And it's commuting distance to Google and Facebook.

Its ample hiring opportunities and reported job satisfaction is what catapulted San Jose to the top 10 in Glassdoor's analysis. But when it comes to housing affordability, it ranks near the bottom among the 50 most populous U.S. metro areas.