Best Cities for IT Jobs and Average Salaries

Although the tech field is often linked to Silicon Valley (which is a major hub), there are several other places in the United States to work in technology. There are a lot of industries – such as retail, publishing, and e-commerce – that are now investing in technology to stay ahead of trends and take advantage of how technology can advance their businesses. According to a new CBRE Report, the high-tech job base accounted for one in every four new office jobs nationally since 2009. Here are the top 10 best cities for IT jobs, pros and cons of living there, and average salaries in descending order.

1. Silicon Valley

Average annual salary: $108,603

Silicon Valley is a nickname for the San Francisco Bay area, which is the most prevalent area for high-tech corporations and thousands of start-ups. The term “silicon” refers to the large number of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers in the region.

Pros:

• Ample job opportunities
• Easy to network
• Good sense of community

Cons:

• Competitive job market
• High cost of living
• Unusual social culture

2. Baltimore/Washington D.C.

Average annual salary: $97,588

Robust high-tech employment has played a major role in growing the housing economy in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. Technology firms in the Washington D.C. area are recently focusing their efforts more in Northern Virginia and solely on the high-tech sector of the market, which is the only industry seeing a sign of growth.

Pros:

• Plenty of activities to do
• Diverse community
• Excellent location to visit other metropolitan cities

Cons:

• Traffic congestion
• High cost of living
• High stress level

3. Los Angeles

Average annual salary: $95,815

A large and vibrant technology community is brewing across Los Angeles as start-ups and tech giants like Google and Yahoo expand their operations throughout Southern California. It’s clear that Los Angeles is an ideal setting for tech, and is increasingly growing connected to this innovation-fueled field.

Pros:

• Amazing weather
• Diverse community
• Favor living a healthy lifestyle

Cons:

• Competitive job market
• Hard to mingle socially
• Traffic congestion

4. Seattle

Average annual salary: $95,048

The birthplace of Amazon and Microsoft, Seattle’s tech world continues to be driven by these companies and others that are part of the tech boom. According to the job site Simply Hired, Seattle had about 21,000 tech job openings in July 2015.

Pros:

• People are open-minded
• Plenty of activities to do
• No state income tax

Cons:

• Gloomy weather
• Traffic congestion
• High cost of living

 5. Boston

Average annual salary: $94,531

With powerhouse higher education institutions like Harvard and MIT, Boston is a great place for thriving web and mobile startups. Recently, Boston has been either climbing or at the top of the list in venture capital invested per capita in the United States.

Pros:

• Excellent and cheap transportation
• Plenty of activities to do
• World class colleges and universities

Cons:

• High cost of living
• Sparse parks and nature
• Hard to mingle socially

6. Denver

Average annual salary: $93,915

According to CBRE, Denver’s tech industry has seen steady growth in the past two years, increasing by 10.7 percent and adding approximately 5,603 tech jobs. This job growth accounted for 20 percent of all new jobs produced in the city.

Pros:

• Beautiful scenery and nature
• Diverse community
• Forward thinking community

Cons:

• Traffic congestion
• Horrible public transportation
• Very dry climate

7. New York

Average annual salary: $93,915

According to Mayor Bill de Blasio, “Technology is driving innovation across New York City’s industries.” With places like Buzzfeed and Etsy now calling New York home, tech employment in NY has grown 40 percent since 2008, only slightly faster than Silicon Valley.

Pros:

• Excellent and cheap transportation
• Plenty of activities to do
• Diverse community

Cons:

• Cost of living
• Hard quality of living
• Transportation can be unreliable

8. Houston

Average annual salary: $92,475

Right behind New York is Houston, Texas, where NASA’s Johnson Space Center is located and where a number of young startups are relocating and enjoying the benefits of lower taxes. The expansion of jobs in tech industries is up 42.3 percent in Houston, and it’s important to note that a majority of their growth is due to medical-related and energy-related technology.

Pros:

• Ample job opportunities
• Affordable cost of living
• Diverse community

Cons:

• Traffic congestion
• High humidity climate
• Rapidly overcrowding

9. Austin

Average annual salary: $91,994

Home to the annual SXSW conference, Austin draws tech talent due to its trendy image. Forbes named Austin the number one city for tech growth, which has grown an astounding 73.9 percent. Plus, their STEM jobs have increased 36.4 percent, resulting in 86,000 STEM jobs.

Pros:

• Easy to mingle socially
• Favor living a healthy lifestyle
• Plenty of activities to do

Cons:

• Traffic congestion
• High humidity climate
• Rapidly overcrowding 

10. San Diego

Average annual salary: $90,849

San Diego was rated one of the top five business communities in the U.S. even before the tech boom, so it’s easily become a hot spot for tech startups as a result. Many large companies like Qualcomm, Connect, and similar ventures are located in the area and are keen on getting female leaders involved.

Pros:

• Amazing weather
• Beautiful scenery and beaches
• Low crime rate

Cons:

• High cost of living
• High rate for potential natural disasters
• High rate for illegal activities

Clearly, now is a good time to be a geek. If you’re interested in science, technology, engineering, or math, these cities are your best bet. Plus, right now, the average STEM job’s salary is double the annual salary of the typical American. Want to learn more about careers in tech? Visit our careers page to explore a new path for your future.