Despite a large portion of tech jobs can be performed from anywhere in the world, location is still a key factor when it comes to tech innovation and development. After comparing statistics from the Labor Department’ Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, we have come up with 10 of the best locations for tech jobs.
Before we get to the list, there were some interesting patterns that we consider important. It makes sense that the top metro areas have large numbers of IT professionals. The 10 locations had an average population of 2.1 million. It is also common for tech jobs to follow the federal government with 3 out of the 10 locations had a range of federal departments and agencies. In these top 10 locations, salaries were high, an average of nearly $25,000 higher than other metro areas. On the same note, rent in these areas was also approximately $400 more than the average.
The Top 10 U.S. Locations for Tech Jobs
- San José- Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California
Whether it’s a headquarter or major office, the big tech names like Google, Apple, Intel, and Netflix all have locations in San Jose, one of the two Silicon Valley zones. There are a whopping 134 tech-related employees per 1000 jobs. Average salaries are $121,064 but be warned, the median monthly gross rent will set you back $2,044.
- Huntsville, Alabama
This area is extremely attractive for tech workers because it is home to the Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA’s location for building and testing vehicles and systems for space flight. There are 63 tech jobs per 1000 but what places it so high up on the list is the average cost of rent at just $785 a month.
- Seattle-Tacoma- Bellevue, Washington
Significant names in this location include Amazon and Microsoft and it is still where Boeing Co. carries out many operations. The average annual tech salaries are quite high at $103,320, as is the average monthly rent at $1,325.
- California- Lexington Park, Maryland
An unlikely area to draw in such high numbers of IT experts but 60 miles from Washington DC, in the Chesapeake Bay you will find the Patuxent River Naval Air Station which includes an R&D section for military aircraft. There are 83 tech employees for every 1,000 jobs.
- Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Traditionally, Durham-Capel Hill has been famous as a university area but since companies like IBM and Cisco have set up there, tech jobs have been on the increase. At the same time, it has remained relatively affordable with median gross rent at $947.
- Raleigh, North Carolina
There are 63 tech jobs per 1,000 with many working for the analytics company SAS or Lenovo. Similarly to Durham-Chapel Hill, it is still an affordable tech hub to live in with the average costa at $1,026.
- Washington D.C, Arlington- Alexandria, Virginia, Maryland
This area might be quite well geographically spread but it also hosts a wide variety of opportunities. Aside from the obvious federal government presence, there is also a large number of contractors such as Lockheed-Martin and Booz Alan Hamilton. Living here is more expensive but the average annual income for tech positions in $106,917.
- Boulder, Colorado
IBM and Seagate already have homes here which plays a role in the 74 tech employees per 1,000 jobs. This is likely to go up with Google planning to set up here too. The average annual salaries are $95,091.
- San Francisco- Oakland- Hayward, California
In the second area of the infamous Silicon Valley, we can find some of the top names in the industry including Facebook, YouTube, and Pixar. There are 73 tech workers for every 1,000 jobs earning an average of $115,477 per year. At $1,757 for the median gross rent per month, it is not quite as expensive as San Jose- Sunnyvale- Sant Clara.
- Austin- Round Rock, Texas
The average annual salaries aren’t quite as high as the other locations ($93,039) but it is an appealing area for startups as well as established tech giants like Apple, Dell, and Samsung. There are 62 tech employees for every 1000 jobs in this location.
