10 cities with fast emerging tech hubs

While Silicon Valley remains the heart of the U.S. technology industry, emerging cities across the country claim growing tech scenes and plenty of opportunity for IT professionals and their families.

The 2016 Homes.com New Tech City Index ranks these emerging cities based on a number of metrics including the number of technology jobs per thousand; the average technology job wage; total number of people employed within the technology industry; and the average home price and the home price changes over the past five years.

Here are their top ranked emerging cities for technology workers based on proprietary Homes.com data as well as data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Denver’s combination of high salary, solid opportunity for tech jobs and relatively affordable housing all combine to put it at the top of the list for emerging tech cities.

Framingham, a suburb of Boston (and CIO.com’s hometown), has the highest average tech salary on the list, and the highest number of tech jobs per 1,000. Home prices aren’t growing as fast as some other emerging tech cities, either.

The city next door to the City by the Bay is a tech hub in its own right, with high salaries and an explosion of average home price growth to match.

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With great salary potential, steady employment levels and a slow-growing, affordable housing market, Atlanta’s a great choice for tech professionals.

Boston has a thriving tech scene, especially around Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a lot of growth in the biotechnology sector. Though average housing prices are high, growth in that area isn’t as high as in some other emerging tech cities.

The Live Music Capital of the World is also a growing hub for technology. Great salaries and high tech employment levels seem to be driving housing prices upward, with a huge explosion in growth over the last five years.

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California real estate has always been at a premium, and Santa Ana is no exception. But a high average tech salary and a solid number of tech jobs makes it a great option for IT professionals.

Baltimore is one of the most affordable cities on the list, with an average home price of under $200,000 and a slow growth rate. Tech salaries are toward the high end of the range covered by this list.

Durham offers high tech salaries, affordable housing with a slow rate of home price growth and one of the highest tech employment levels on the list.

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Though the average housing price cracks the million-dollar mark, salaries are near the top of the range for this list, and Boulder has one of the highest levels of tech employment on the list.