Silicon Valley might be the most obvious place to move to if you have or want a career in tech, but there are tech hubs all over the country that make good alternatives, according to this study by NerdWallet.


NerdWallet examined the 370 largest metropolitan areas in the US to discover: the size of the tech industry in that area (based on number of tech employees per 1,000 total jobs), how well the tech jobs there pay (annual mean salary for tech jobs in the area), and how far that income would go (based on median gross rent).

It’s no surprise that Silicon Valley tops the list, with the thousands of tech companies and startups based there. The average tech salary is over $130,000 per year there and 126 out of every 1,000 jobs in Silicon Valley are in the tech industry. Median rent is also the highest here ($1,640), but the higher salary and proportion of tech jobs still put this metro area at the top. Also on the list:

On the East Coast, tech companies are thriving in the Washington, D.C., corridor and the Boston metro area. To the south, there’s Huntsville, Alabama, and the Research Triangle in North Carolina. Boulder, Colorado, and the Silicon Hills of Austin, Texas.


Here’s the top 25:

Head to NerdWallet for the full list and more details.

Best Places for Tech Jobs | NerdWallet

Screenshot via Kraken .