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Sarah K. White
Senior Writer

The 10 fastest growing US tech hubs for IT talent

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Jul 23, 20257 mins
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You don’t need to move to Silicon Valley to cash in on the boom for IT talent. These 10 US cities are among the fastest growing tech hubs, according to CompTIA.

San Antonio, Texas, USA downtown skyline.
Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock

Net tech employment in the US reached just over 9.6 million in 2024 and is projected to grow 2.5% to 9.9 million by the end of 2025, according to the . The economic impact of the tech industry also continues to grow, accounting for an estimated 8.6% of direct economic value, or around $2 trillion.

In its report, CompTIA evaluated the net tech employment of every metro area in America, combining different data points to paint a more comprehensive picture of the growing tech workforce.

While the foundation of the tech industry starts with tech professionals working in technical positions, CompTIA also points to the importance of business professionals employed by technology companies. Just as IT professionals are vital to non-tech companies, non-tech business professionals also make up 38% of net tech employment, and are vital to the industry. Plus, CompTIA ranked each metro area based on four quartiles for cost of living and tech wage premiums, with the first quartile being the most favorable rating.

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Based off that data, CompTIA identified these top 10 metro areas that have experienced tech job growth, and are predicted to see even more growth through the rest of the year.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas ranked in the third quartile for cost of living and tech wage premiums. In addition to tech, industries driving tech hiring in Las Vegas include management and holding companies; professional, scientific, and technical services; and the public sector. Net tech employment in Last Vegas is projected to grow 4.7% and currently makes up just over 3% of the overall workforce, with an economic impact of $7.2 billion in 2024. Some of the top tech companies in Las Vegas include Tapestry, Cox Enterprises, PwC, DraftKings, and Take-Two Interactive Software.

Median tech wage: $91,848

Percent higher than national median: 106%

Austin

Austin ranked in the top quartile for cost of living and second for tech wage premium. In addition to tech, the top industries driving tech hiring include professional, scientific, and technical services; public sector; and finance and insurance. Net tech employment in Austin is projected to grow 4.4% and currently makes up just over 13% of the overall workforce, with an economic impact of $51.2 billion in 2024. Some of the top tech companies in Austin include Apple, Tesla, Google, Dell, Amazon, Samsung, AlertMedia, BAE Systems, and General Motors.

Median tech wage: $118,888

Percent higher than national median: 126%

Nashville

Nashville ranks in the first quartile for cost of living and the third for tech wage premiums. In addition to tech, industries driving tech hiring include professional, scientific, and technical services; management and holding companies; and finance and insurance. Net tech employment in Nashville is expected to grow 4.3% and currently makes up just over 5% of the overall workforce, with economic impact of $12.3 billion in 2024. Some of the top tech companies in Nashville include Toast, PwC, SharkNinja, and Motorola Solutions.

Median tech wage: $100,856

Percent higher than national median: 104%

Charleston

Charleston ranked in the second quartile for cost of living and for tech wage premiums. In addition to tech, industries driving tech hiring include the public sector; professional, scientific, and technical services; and manufacturing. Net tech employment in Charleston is expected to grow 3.9% for the rest of the year and currently makes up 4.5% of the overall workforce, with an economic impact of $4 billion in 2024. Some of the top tech companies in Charleston include Red Hat, Workiva, GoodUnited, and Avoxi.

Median tech wage: $101,350

Percent higher than national median: 112%

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City ranked in the third quartile for cost of living and for tech wage premiums. In addition to tech, industries driving tech hiring include professional, scientific, and technical services; finance and insurance; and the public sector. Net tech employment in SLC is expected to grow 3.8% and currently makes up 8.5% of the overall workforce, with an economic impact of $13 billion in 2024. Some of the top tech companies include Cash App, Square, Block, Discover, PwC, and Motorola Solutions.

Median tech wage: $109,762

Percent higher than national median: 112%

Dallas

Dallas ranked in the second quartile for cost of living and first for tech wage premium. In addition to tech, industries driving tech hiring include finance and insurance; professional, scientific, and technical services; and administrative services. Net tech employment in Dallas is expected to grow 3.7% and currently makes up nearly 9% of the overall workforce, with an economic impact of $85.3 billion in 2024. Some of the top tech companies in Dallas include Texas Instruments, AT&T, Capital One, , Microsoft, ServiceNow, and Snap Inc.

Median tech wage:  $119,586

Percent higher than national median: 137%

Denver

Denver ranked in the third quartile for cost of living and tech wage premium. In addition to tech, the industries driving tech hiring include professional, scientific, and technical services; finance and insurance; and management and holding companies. Net tech employment in Denver is expected to grow 3.2% and makes up just over 9% of the overall workforce, with an economic impact of $37 billion in 2024. Some of the top tech companies in Denver include BAE Systems, Inc., Square, Monday.com, Duda, Inc., Slack and Salesforce.

Median tech wage:  $123,282

Percent higher than national median: 103%

Seattle

Seattle ranked in the fourth quartile for cost of living and first for tech wage premiums. In addition to tech, industries driving tech hiring include management and holding companies; professional, scientific, and technical services; and manufacturing. Net tech employment in Seattle is expected to grow 3.1% and makes up just over 12.4% of the overall workforce, with an economic impact of $151.4 billion in 2024. Some of the top tech companies in Seattle include Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Apple, and ServiceNow.

Median tech wage: $152,466

Percent higher than national median: 127%

Charlotte

Charlotte ranked in the second quartile for cost of living, and first in tech wage premium. In addition to tech, industries driving tech hiring include finance and insurance; management and holding companies; and professional, scientific, and technical services. Net tech employment in Charlotte has grown 3.1% and tech jobs make up 6.7% of the overall workforce, with an economic impact of $16.3 billion in 2024. Some of the top tech companies in Charlotte include Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, AvidXchange, Accenture, and Apple.  

Median tech wage: $117,950

Percent higher than national median: 137%

San Antonio

San Antonio ranks in the second quartile for cost of living and tech wage premiums. In addition to tech, the industries driving tech hiring include finance and insurance; public sector; and professional, scientific, and technical services. Net tech employment in San Antonio has grown 2.8% and tech jobs make up 4.7% of the overall workforce, with an economic impact of $7.3 billion in 2024. Some of the top tech companies in San Antonio include IBM, Dell, Rackspace, PwC, and CDW.

Median tech wage: $104,038

Percent higher than national median: 129%

2024’s Top 10 

1. San Antonio

2. Philadelphia

3. Orlando, Florida

4. Columbus, Ohio

5. Houston

6. Raleigh, North Carolina

7. Baltimore

8. St. Louis

9. Denver

10. Los Angeles

Sarah K. White
Senior Writer

Sarah White is a senior writer at CIO.com, focusing on IT workplace trends, IT leadership, and DEI in the tech industry. She covers everything IT leaders need to know about hiring and retaining tech workers while also highlighting unique industry stories from organizations, nonprofits, and IT leaders. She previously wrote about consumer tech and B2B hardware, including notebook and smartphone reviews, later shifting to IT-careers based coverage. Her work covering DEI in the tech industry has gained recognition, earning a Gold Tabbie and a Silver ASPBE for her article “How Blacks in Technology Foundation is stomping the divide,” and another Silver ASBPE for coverage of “Invoking IT to help revitalize indigenous languages at risk of extinction.”

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