Mapping the Biggest Tech Talent Hubs in the U.S. and Canada
While cities like San Francisco and New York remain centers of tech talent and innovation, many other cities are growing extremely quickly in terms of the tech labor pool.
This infographic draws from a report by CBRE to determine which tech talent markets in the U.S. and Canada are the largest. The data looks at the total workforce in the sector, as well as the change in tech worker population over time in various cities.
What is Tech Talent?
Tech talent represents a group of highly skilled workers in more than 20 technology-oriented occupations driving innovation across all industry sectors, ranging from software developers to systems and data managers.
Although these positions are concentrated within the high-tech industry, they are spread across all industry sectors.
Top tech talent markets are typically characterized by a substantial level of educational attainment and a significant concentration of young individuals. Forty-five of the top 50 talent markets have an educational attainment level above national averages.
The tech sector remains one of the top employers of highly skilled workers in North America, with over seven million workers.
California’s Bay Area, which includes Silicon Valley, remains the biggest tech hub, with a talent pool of 407,810 tech workers, compared to 378,870 in 2021.
| Market | Tech Workforce(2022) | Change(2017-2022) |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | 407,810 | 23% |
| New York Metro | 371,030 | 11% |
| Toronto | 285,700 | 29% |
| Washington D.C. | 265,240 | 7% |
| Los Angeles/Orange County | 249,620 | 17% |
| Dallas/Ft. Worth | 205,920 | 28% |
| Seattle | 194,040 | 29% |
| Montreal | 172,400 | 43% |
| Chicago | 166,140 | 2% |
| Boston | 161,470 | 22% |
| Atlanta | 143,150 | 6% |
| Denver | 125,800 | 26% |
| Vancouver | 111,100 | 69% |
| Phoenix | 109,160 | 30% |
| Philadelphia | 108,630 | 7% |
| Houston | 105,840 | 12% |
| Detroit | 97,520 | 10% |
| Austin | 96,610 | 39% |
| Minneapolis/St.Paul | 94,650 | 4% |
| Ottawa | 94,100 | 40% |
| San Diego | 78,860 | 12% |
| South Florida | 77,700 | 24% |
| Baltimore | 76,460 | 5% |
| Raleigh-Durham | 73,790 | 24% |
| Portland | 69,470 | 34% |
| Charlotte | 65,520 | 21% |
| Salt Lake City | 61,400 | 39% |
| St. Louis | 57,070 | 7% |
| Tampa | 55,970 | 23% |
| Calgary | 52,200 | 61% |
| Columbus | 51,650 | 5% |
| Kansas City | 50,470 | -4% |
| Orlando | 47,840 | 26% |
| Sacramento | 42,360 | 7% |
| Pittsburgh | 41,680 | -6% |
| Cincinnati | 40,450 | 10% |
| Nashville | 39,180 | 36% |
| Cleveland | 38,130 | 6% |
| Quebec City | 36,400 | 34% |
| Indianapolis | 35,980 | 1% |
| Milwaukee | 35,260 | 14% |
| San Antonio | 33,470 | 7% |
| Virginia Beach | 31,210 | 17% |
| Edmonton | 31,100 | 45% |
| Waterloo Region, Canada | 29,700 | 52% |
| Richmond | 28,480 | 14% |
| Hartford | 27,500 | 6% |
| Inland Empire | 26,850 | 44% |
| Jacksonville | 23,620 | 17% |
| Madison | 23,530 | 45% |
The Bay Area also has the highest annual wage for U.S. tech talent at $185,425, followed by Seattle ($172,009) and Boston ($121,794)
Toronto remains the third tech hub in North America, just behind the San Francisco Bay Area and New York.
Emerging Tech Cities in Canada
Canada has attracted significant numbers of tech workers largely as a result of the country’s immigration-friendly national policy and labor cost advantage, according to a recent report from the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) and Canada’s Tech Network (CTN).
In fact, Canadian cities like Vancouver, Calgary, and Waterloo have had the highest growth of tech workers over the past five years.
Between April 2022 and March 2023, 32,115 new workers came to Canada with the most migrating from India and Nigeria.
North America’s Next Tech Hubs
Despite the dominance of traditional tech hubs, the report also points to other cities that could receive tech talent over the next few years.
They are concentrated in the U.S. Midwest and South, like Boise (ID), Las Vegas (NE), Palm Bay (FL), and Birmingham (AL).
The report also highlights Winnipeg and Halifax as potential Canadian tech hubs.
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