The verdict is out: While Silicon Valley is home to many of the most desirable tech companies, it is no longer the tech job mecca.
New data research by jobs and recruiting website Glassdoor shows that in the past five years, the share of software-related roles in San Jose, California, the valley’s biggest metro area, has declined.
And it’s not that there are fewer of these jobs in the United States. In fact, software engineers are the most sought-after employees today. Rather, tech jobs have been moving to other metro areas and sectors, Glassdoor’s chief economist Andrew Chamberlain tells CNBC Make It.
Chamberlain analyzed all unique job listings (based in the United States) with the word “software” in the title — such as software developer and software engineer — available on the website on June 1, 2012. He performed the same analysis for listings on June 1, 2017.
Chamberlain highlights that given today’s economy and the low unemployment rate in the U.S., job seekers — especially in the software industry— are in the driver’s seat, as they are attractive to prospective employers.
Here are the 10 best cities for getting a job in tech beyond Silicon Valley based on the share of software job postings for each respective metro area.
1. Seattle, WA
From 2012 to 2017, Seattle saw a 6.7% increase in software jobs.
Seattle, home to tech giant Microsoft, saw the biggest gains in software hiring. But Chamberlain says this growth is mostly driven by retail giants Amazon and Walmart.
As e-commerce has boomed, so have the amount of software jobs in the retail sector.
2. Washington, DC
From 2012 to 2017, Washington, D.C. saw a 1.3% increase in software jobs.
3. Detroit, MI
From 2012 to 2017, Detroit saw a 0.8% increase in software jobs.
The big auto manufacturers still left there, like Ford and General Motors, are relying more and more heavily on software engineers for automation rather than the old style line production worker manufacturing jobs, Chamberlain says.
4. Denver, CO
From 2012 to 2017, Denver saw a 0.7% increase in software jobs.
Research from Glassdoor shows software workers living in this and other cities with lower cost of living were able to stretch their dollars further.
“The lower cost of living is just one reason Denver has seen a growing tech presence, and as a result more demand for software-related talent,” Chamberlain says.
Google, for example, has doubled its workforce in Colorado ahead of opening a new campus.
5. Austin, TX
From 2012 to 2017, Austin saw a 0.7% increase in software jobs.
Some non-traditional tech companies seeking software engineers in this city include iHeartMedia, Home Depot and Indeed, which was voted one of Fortune’s best places to work in Texas this year.
6. San Francisco, CA
From 2012 to 2017, San Francisco saw a 0.6% increase in software jobs.
Although not very far from Silicon Valley itself, San Francisco currently has nearly 20,000 job listings related to software. Among those are retail company Gap, General Electric and Under Armour.
7. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
From 2012 to 2017, Dallas- Fort Worth saw a 0.4% increase in software jobs.
Companies like AT&T, Match.com and Capital One are among the companies with 12,000 software gigs currently available in this area of Texas. As with several other cities on this list, Dallas has been suspected to have a tech boom for a few years now.
8. New York City, NY
From 2012 to 2017, New York City saw a 0.4% increase in software jobs.
Chamberlain points out that New York City, as well as San Francisco, is a significant hub in the banking and financial services industry.
“As the industry continues to adopt more technology, from online security payments to mobile banking apps, hiring for software roles have significantly grown,” Chamberlain tells CNBC Make It.
9. Orlando, FL
From 2012 to 2017, Orlando saw a 0.3% increase in software jobs.
Disney Parks and Resorts Deloitte and Universal Studios are just a few examples of places that are non-traditionally tech companies, but demand software talent.
10. Raleigh-Durham, NC
From 2012 to 2017, Dallas- Fort Worth saw a 0.3% increase in software jobs.
“Companies today more than ever are locating new offices in lower cost of living areas that are nearby universities where they can recruit young talented software developers, but they can enjoy a cost of living that can be a factor of ten less in some cases for real estate,” Chamberlain says.
Deutsche Bank, Fidelity and Credit Suisse are a few examples of companies seeking software engineers in these two metro areas. Raleigh alone is home to at least 11 universities and colleges.
“Fresh computer science and engineering grads coming out of universities often want to stay close to where they were they were in school and that provides the labor market for employers,” Chamberlain tells CNBC Make It.
