When it comes to tech hubs, New York City and the cities of the Bay Area (i.e., Silicon Valley) draw a lot of attention. But as new job-posting data makes clear, many other cities across the country are building sizable tech communities.
According to CompTIA’s latest tech job report, which is based off data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass), Los Angeles passed San Francisco in job-posting volume last month. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise; the City of Angels has spent years fostering startups and tech investment, and the area is home to high-flying tech companies such as Snap.
When you look at the following list, you’ll also see some cities you don’t usually equate with tech, such as Little Rock, AR, and Rochester, NY. Keep in mind that this analysis focuses on month-over-month change in job postings; in smaller cities, a hiring spurt by one or two companies can translate into powerful gains, proportionally:
Despite widespread concerns over the economy and a possible recession, the tech unemployment rate continues to dip, hitting 1.7 percent in July. “The tech jobs market has repeatedly outperformed in the face of real and perceived economic weakness,” Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA, wrote in a statement accompanying the data. “The data confirms that for every layoff announcement there are other employers stepping in to take advantage of tech talent hiring opportunities.”
Across the country, organizations are hiring technologists for a variety of jobs, from data analytics to software engineering. Although some of the biggest tech giants have enacted either hiring slowdowns or outright layoffs, they don’t represent the entirety of the tech-hiring landscape; organizations of every size and mission need tech talent. From the biggest tech hubs to the smallest cities, hiring remains strong.
