The 10 best US cities for tech workers that aren’t San Francisco or New York

Tech workers, rejoyce: You don’t have to move to San Francisco or New York City to find a high-paying job, according to SmartAsset’s Best American Cities to Work in Tech in 2019 report.

The report compared 172 US cities across five metrics: Average salary, average cost of living, tech employment concentration, unemployment rate, and ratio of average pay to tech pay.

SEE: How to build a successful developer career (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Finding a lucrative tech job with great benefits in a city with a lower cost of living will give these professionals more bang for their buck, the report found. The top 10 cities this year were spread only across the South and Midwest, including three cities in Texas. More than half of the cities that made the list this year were also among the top 10 cities for tech workers last year, the report found, demonstrating that these may be growing non-coastal tech hubs.

Here are the 10 best cities to find a tech job in 2019, according to the report:

1. Columbus, OH

Percent of workforce in tech: 4.21%
Average salary: $92,440
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.80
Cost of living index: 90.9
Unemployment rate: 2.3%
Overall index: 100.00

2. Dallas, TX

Percent of workforce in tech: 4.23%
Average salary: $93,820
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.78
Cost of living index: 90.9
Unemployment rate: 2.7%
Overall index: 94.52

3. Raleigh, NC

Percent of workforce in tech: 5.69%
Average salary: $91,680
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.74
Cost of living index: 91.6
Unemployment rate: 2.6%
Overall index: 94.35

4. Cedar Rapids, IA

Percent of workforce in tech: 4.14%
Average salary: $83,260
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.69
Cost of living index: 93.9
Unemployment rate: 1.8%
Overall index: 88.34

5. Davenport, IA

Percent of workforce in tech: 2.88%
Average salary: $83,090
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.76
Cost of living index: 94.6
Unemployment rate: 1.4%
Overall index: 87.63

6. Des Moines, IA

Percent of workforce in tech: 4.44%
Average salary: $83,820
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.61
Cost of living index: 90.6
Unemployment rate: 2.3%
Overall index: 84.98

7. San Antonio, TX

Percent of workforce in tech: 2.70%
Average salary: $84,790
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.82
Cost of living index: 86.9
Unemployment rate: 3.2%
Overall index: 83.57

8. Huntsville, AL (tie)

Percent of workforce in tech: 6.77%
Average salary: $97,340
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.78
Cost of living index: 93.6
Unemployment rate: 3.6%
Overall index: 83.04

8. St. Louis, MO (tie)

Percent of workforce in tech: 3.55%
Average salary: $84,140
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.67
Cost of living index: 87.9
Unemployment rate: 3.0%
Overall index: 83.04

10. Temple, TX

Percent of workforce in tech: 2.09%
Average salary: $78,770
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.79
Cost of living index: 85.1
Unemployment rate: 2.6%
Overall index: 82.69

For more, check out The best (and worst) cities to start your career on TechRepublic.