Looking for a tech job? Check in these cities first

Finding a job is no easy task, but if you’re in the business of technology, these are the cities you should check out first. 

NerdWallet, a consumer-driven, advice yielding company that creates online tools and provides research to help consumers with their financial education decisions has collected job data so you can start your job search. 

NerdWallet explored 370 of the largest cities across the United States looking for a variety of tech opportunities ranging from software and web developers to information research scientists. What they found was that the cities that offered the best and most abundant tech jobs were the places that housed big companies or encouraged start-ups. The company also analyzed factors such as industry size and job income. 

Here are the top 10 cities to begin your job search. 

1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara  

Surprise! The heart of Silicon Valley resides at number one on the list. According to NerdWallet, 126 out of every 1,000 jobs are in the tech industry and the average annual salary is over $130,000. You’ll also find Silicon Valley on NerdWallet’s list of Best Places for Engineers and Best Places for STEM Graduates.

2. Huntsville, Alabama
Here, 68 out of every 1,000 jobs are in the tech industry with an average annual salary of $92,296 (keep in mind rents are lower in Huntsville, AL. What’s in Alabama? The city is home to Cummings Research Park, a science and technology business park full of companies, as well as NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

3. Seattle-Bellvue-Everet, Washington
Here in the Seattle metro area, 77 out of every 1,000 jobs are tech-related with an average annual salary of $108,000. The area is home to major tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing. 

4. Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina
This area is part of the North Carolina Research Triangle where companies such as IBM and Cisco reside. Here 66 out of every 1,000 jobs are tech jobs and the average annual salaries are over $94,500.

5. Boulder, Colorado
In Boulder you’ll find a lot of venture capital firms and smaller tech companies. Seventy of every 1,000 jobs are tech-related and average annual salaries are just under $100,000.

Boulder, CO.

6. San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, California
Silicon Valley isn’t the only tech-infested area in California. In this part of the State, you’ll find tech giants like Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yahoo and Oracle. In this area, 72 out of every 1,000 jobs are in the tech field and average annual salary is over $113,000. 

7. Washington, D.C-Arlington- Alexandria, Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia
In this area surrounding the nation’s capital, 79 out of every 1,000 jobs are in tech. The area has a plentiful offering of start-ups and accelerator programs. The average annual salary is over $104,000.

8. Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina
In this part of North Carolina, 56 out of every 1,000 jobs are tech-related. Nearby universities help employ tech companies such as Red Hat and the 170 companies located in Research Triangle Park.

9. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas
Many start-ups thrive in the Austin area, but it is also home to major companies like Dell and IBM. In Austin, 58 out of every 1,000 jobs are tech jobs with an average annual salary of $84,300 (remember that Austin has a lower cost of living with median rents at just $1,000).

10. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts
In the Boston area, 57 out of every 1,000 jobs are in tech and average salaries are over $100,000. Boston-based companies include Constant Contact, Wayfair, HourlyNerd and Fiksu.

Check out NerdWallet’s Top 20 list below and visit the website for the Top 100.