Dallas ranks as a top 'Tech Town' ahead of Seattle, Denver
The Dallas area’s tech prowess pushed it ahead of some longtime rivals in a new report — though it failed to come out on top in Texas.
The region took No. 6 among U.S. metropolitan areas, according to the 2018 “Tech Town Index” from CompTIA, or the Computing Technology Industry Association. That put it ahead of No. 7 Seattle, No. 8 Denver and No. 11 Washington, D.C. The two top positions went to regions in the Carolinas, while No. 3 went to Austin. The Silicon Valley was just one spot ahead of North Texas. Show Full Story
The index counts factors such as information technology job ads, cost of living and job growth.
CompTIA pointed to Dallas’ massive base of tech workers – the city boasts the largest concentration of technology professionals in the southern United States. DFW also had more than 100,000 tech job postings in a recent 12-month period, and demand is forecasted to grow for IT jobs in the next five years.
The Dallas region is getting more attention for its technology chops amid efforts by local leaders to woo more IT jobs that come with healthy salaries. The region recently made another list by commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield that looked at North America’s top tech cities.
The latest designation also comes as North Texas awaits a decision by Amazon about which of 20 finalist cities will get the retailer's second headquarters. Dallas is benefitting from corporate interest, according to the new CompTIA report. The region offers a relatively lower cost of living, even as salaries are lower than in some of the country's other major cities.
Locals are more upbeat on tech, as well. Nearly two-thirds of respondents believe that major tech companies will increase their presence in the region in the next decade, according to a recent Capital One Future Edge DFW report.
The only Texas city besides Dallas to make the CompTIA list of the top 20 tech towns was Austin. The No. 1 player was Charlotte, North Carolina, amid strong job growth in technology and a lower cost of living. No. 20 went to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“The geographic diversity of the index is something we’re very excited to see and demonstrates the positive impact the technology industry is having on regional economies,” Nancy Hammervik, executive vice president of industry relations for CompTIA, said in a prepared statement.
CompTIA is an advocate for the U.S. IT ecosystem, along with technology and business professionals in technology.
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