Tech talent skips coastal hubs for Austin, TX

Dive Brief:

Austin, TX is the top city for tech talent, according to CompTIA's 2019 Tech Town report. Raleigh, NC; San Jose, CA; Seattle; and San Francisco round out the top five cities.
Austin was ranked third last year, but 46 tech companies relocated to the city in 2018, contributing to its rise. Austin's "Silicon Hills" are attractive to "rookie" startups, according to CompTIA. Research predicts a 16% year-over-year increase in IT jobs in Austin over the next five years.
Last year, Charlotte, NC clenched the top spot with companies including Wells Fargo, Bank of America and IBM hiring IT professionals. This year, Charlotte dropped to No. 6 because its job growth slowed, from 11% last year to 9% this year.

Dive Insight:

CompTIA's report included hallmark tech cities — San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle — but it also mentioned unlikely newcomers. Columbus, OH ranked 12th, and Jacksonville and Tampa, Florida ranked 18th and 19th after having no mention last year.

Ohio is the No. 10 state for tech employment, with a net tech employment of 397,000. Software developers, computer system and cybersecurity analysts, and network architects are the leading tech occupations for the Buckeye State. Technology makes up about 6%, or $34.5 billion, of Ohio's overall state economy.

Florida ranks fourth for tech employment, behind California, Texas and New York. Florida has a net tech employment of nearly 568,000. Tech contributes about 8%, or $71 billion to the state's overall economy and makes up roughly 6% of its workforce.

Texas has had steady representation as a top state for tech talent. Technology adds about $141.8 billion to the Longhorn state's economy. Austin and Dallas are frequently named top cities for techies, with the latter ranking seventh in CompTIA's assessment.

The "stay weird" mantra of Austin in a selling point for startup and established tech companies to set up base, according to CompTIA. Dell, IBM, Apple and Amazon have roots in the city, contributing to the 49,000 open tech jobs posted this year.

CompTIA declared Dallas a "pot of gold" for future tech professionals, as 60% of the city's population is under the working age. Almost 134,000 jobs were listed in the last 12 months, with eyes specifically on software development engineers and Java developers.