Main image of article Atlanta, Chicago Surpassing Silicon Valley in Tech Job Postings

For many years, Atlanta has done its best to cultivate a robust tech scene. Low rents, the presence of major corporations, and cool office space for startups all helped attract technology companies and technologists. Now it seems like all that effort is paying off. 

According to Burning Glass, which collects and analyzes millions of job postings from across the country, Atlanta was the city with the second-highest number of open tech jobs over the past 90 days, surpassed only by longtime tech giant New York City. Atlanta also managed to beat out Chicago, Austin, and San Francisco—no small feat, considering the tech presence in those cities. Check out the full chart:

Dallas, Los Angeles, Houston, Charlotte, Phoenix, Denver, and other cities all performed impressively throughout the summer in terms of tech hiring. Is this a sign that the “old guard” of tech hubs (i.e., Silicon Valley, Seattle, and so on) is giving way to a new generation? Whatever your thoughts on that, it’s clear that cities across the country have succeeded in sparking local demand for technologists.

The rise of remote work could accelerate the growth of the tech scene in smaller cities. Over the past 15 months, many technologists have decided to move from ultra-expensive metro areas such as Silicon Valley to cities with a lower cost of living (states such as Texas have benefitted massively from this migration). Once in their new home, many technologists may decide to start their own business (or consulting firm) or opt to work for a local company. More technologists in a particular location may also persuade a business to set down roots there, with executives figuring there’s enough talent to meet their long-term needs. 

For smaller cities that want to develop a sizable tech scene, it might be hard to replicate the success of Atlanta, which benefits from its size, a well-established business scene, and necessary resources such as a major airport and universities. But as many metro areas around the country have shown over the last decade, encouraging tech companies and technologists to set up shop can eventually translate into a vigorous tech community—it just might take a little time.