Since 2020 there has been a shift from in-office work to full-time remote schedule for most, especially those within the tech industry. With little to no decrease in productivity across the board, companies are reconsidering the need to come into a physical office. This opens up opportunities at companies in any city across the country for those with the right skills, and basing your work out of one of the country's tech hubs might be the right plan. Here are 6 of the top tech cities for salary growth over the past year: New York City, NY Austin, TX Boston, MA Charlotte, NC Detroit, MI Houston, TX How can you get started in the tech industry? New York City, NY It should come as no surprise that New York City remains a bustling tech hub among all the up-and-coming tech cities in the world. New York City has ranked number 2 globally for best tech environments in 2020 according to GSER, only coming in behind Silicon Valley. With New York City’s large and diverse population, it is no wonder why it continues to be booming for the tech industry. The average salary for tech industry positions in 2020 was $114,274, which was an 11.6% increase from the year prior. You could expect to get a job from some of these top hiring companies within the city: Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs, and Facebook according to Dice. However, considering 83% of NYC executives are confident that they will be able to find local talent to fill their open tech positions in the next year according to Accenture and Tech, you might consider relocating if you’d like to start working for a company in New York City. Austin, TX Like other cities that have suffered throughout the pandemic, Austin has been able to bounce back and better than ever. According to the Austin City Chamber of Commerce, Austin has already been able to recover 96% of the jobs that were lost during the spring 2020. Considering Texas has also been ranked number 1 for states to start a business from WalletHub, it is holding strong as a top tech city of its own. In Austin, there has been an average increase of 9.7% to average tech salaries, bringing them to $104,344 for the year of 2020 according to Dice. Some of the top hiring companies in the city are Charles Schwab, Amazon, Home Depot, Advanced Micro Devices, and Apple. All great companies for any techie. Given the higher cost of living in California and other tech hubs, many are making the move to Texas helping to grow the economy. In addition, Austin’s average lease rates for commercial buildings are more affordable for tech companies, and rent is more affordable for their employees. When you bring all these factors together, Austin looks to continue its growth as a business powerhouse. Boston, MA With the tech industry expanding all across the country working its way out of west coast isolation, some east coast cities, like Boston, have established themselves as great locations for the tech community. Additionally, the cold winters have not kept business from heating up, creating a perfect environment for tech salary growth. In Boston, Massachusetts, the average tech salary for 2020 was $111,069, which is a 2.4% increase from the previous year. If you’re hoping to get a job in the tech industry in Boston, some of the top firms currently hiring are Amazon, Humana, State Street Bank, Accenture, and VMware according to Dice’s 2021 tech salary report. With Amazon announcing its plan to add 3,000 new corporate and tech jobs in their Boston location earlier in 2021, the city is poised to become one of the top tech cities in the US. Amazon isn’t the only company planning growth in the area either, making it a great place for opportunity in the tech industry. Charlotte, NC There has been nearly a doubling of tech talent growth in Charlotte over the last decade according to Axios. It’s no wonder that the industry is booming, and salaries are growing faster than any other city over the past year. Showing that the west coast isn’t the only area for tech talent and career growth opportunities. Charlotte has seen a huge 13.8% increase in average tech salaries for 2020, giving it the largest percentage increase of any city in the country. According to Dice, the average salary for tech jobs in 2020 increased to $99,691. Top hiring companies in the area are Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Microsoft, Lowe's, Anthem Blue Cross, and many more. Great national companies that could provide opportunities for the right people. Classically Charlotte has been known as an American hub for banking, however, as more Millennials have been moving to the city and bringing their talents it has been a thriving area for start-ups and tech companies making it the Silicon Valley of the east. Prompting extreme growth in opportunity and salaries for those looking for tech related jobs. Detroit, MI With Detroit's past as an automobile giant, and subsequent fall, it may be hard to believe that it is a modern day tech hub, but there are reasons it is rising again. With its perfect location in the center of the country and pool of talented tech savvy individuals it’s no wonder companies would want to base themselves out of the area. With a 7.7% salary growth in Detroit, there is no shortage in companies looking for qualified talent including: Quicken Loans, General Motors, Xenith, PWC, and Nikola. The average tech salary in Detroit increased to $90,110 in 2020, according to the Dice 2021 Tech Salary report. With the city's low cost of living, there is a great opportunity for tech minded people looking to get a foothold in the industry. The mobility that Detroit provides makes it an attractive location for many reasons. As it continues to bounce back, it will continue to be a growing area for tech professionals and their salaries. Houston, TX As Texas continues to grow with talented professionals, it is becoming one of the best cities for tech jobs in the country. Houston has been seen as the second fastest-growing tech hub in the US amid the pandemic according to CultureMap. Houston has seen an increase in tech salaries to $99,727 in 2020 with huge companies currently hiring within the industry, such as, JPMorgan Chase, Baker Hughes, KBR, Capgemini, and Jacobs Engineering Group. This was a 7.1% increase from tech salaries the year previous, according to Dice. Although Houston is currently working up against its neighboring city of Austin, a Texas tech stronghold, it is proving itself to be a powerful center of growth for the tech industry. While Austin becomes more crowded Houston is grabbing its opportunity to present its own unique benefits for tech professionals with their own missions and values. How can you get started in the tech industry? With salaries in the tech sector continuing to grow it is a great industry to consider learning the skills to enter for yourself. If the only thing preventing you from taking advantage of these opportunities all across the country is a gap in knowledge there are many places you can learn the skills you need. At LEARN academy we offer multiple ways to empower your career choices by providing an entry into these highly technical jobs. With hard work and time anyone can learn these skills and super charge their potential. If the idea of becoming a tech professional in one of these cities is exciting, our 4-month Intensive Program is the best way to make a successful career transition into the tech industry. Plus, now that our program is fully remote, you can take our program from just about anywhere in the United States. Additionally, we provide you with a laptop for the duration of the program, so you have all the tools you need to start your career transition into tech. You can also check out our upcoming events and coding workshops to see if you're interested in learning how to code taking your future into your own hands!
