For decades, Silicon Valley has been widely regarded as the country’s preeminent technology hub. In recent years, however, other states and cities have realized the benefits of fostering a local tech industry. With a basket of tax cuts, incubator programs, and other incentives, governments have done their best to entice established tech companies and aggressive startups to take hold.
To determine which states have been successful in encouraging tech employment, we can turn to Burning Glass, which collects and analyzes millions of job postings across the country (in addition to other data). Over the past year, the following 10 states have seen strong demand for software developers, along with high median salaries, two important indicators of the prosperity of local tech arenas:
That California tops these rankings is no surprise: Some of the country’s biggest tech companies have made the state their home, and Silicon Valley will likely continue to maintain a strong tech scene for years to come. thanks to easy access to venture capital, prestigious local schools and metropolitan amenities.
But Silicon Valley also faces more competition than ever. In recent years, Texas has done its best to pull companies and technologists out of California. Local authorities like to claim that Austin, Dallas, and Houston offer lower taxes and cost of living than Los Angeles and San Francisco. Based on the job postings of software developers over the past 12 months, as well as median salaries, it is clear that the Lone Star State has succeeded in attracting significant technological interest, but the growing demand can also translate. by a higher cost of living.
Virginia is on the rise as well, and not just because Amazon picked the state as the host for its huge “HQ2” office. Virginia is already home to technology contractors that serve the federal government, as well as the massive data centers powering AWS and other services.
Interestingly, New York and Washington, both of which are home to established tech hubs, have followed Texas and Virginia (and are only just ahead of Florida and Colorado) when it comes to job vacancies. software developer. With the rise of the cloud and the increasing prevalence of remote and hybrid working, the growth of small tech hubs could accelerate in the years to come. This is good news for software developers and other technologists who want lots of jobs and high salaries, but don’t necessarily want to move to New York or Silicon Valley.
