the new tech cities
Houston falls behind other Texas cities in new ranking of best U.S. tech hubs
Was Houston snubbed on a new list of the best tech cities?
In a recent report analyzing metrics for best cities for tech hubs, Houston failed to crack the top 20 — unlike a few other Texas cities.
The new report, "The Top Tech Cities in the US: Ranking 100 Cities in 2024," by online security experts Cloudwards, examined 100 tech-reliant cities in the nation across 17 key indicators, including salaries for information technology professionals, a city's cost of living, internet quality, job opportunities and tech-related companies, and more.
Houston is the No. 22 best tech city in the nation, just barely missing the upper third of Texas cities; the Dallas suburb of Plano outshone them all at No. 4, and its neighbor Frisco came in at No. 10. San Antonio ranked a few spots ahead of Houston, at No. 18, possibly taking some inspiration from tech-hub Austin, which made No. 7.
Here's how Houston stacked up in the major categories in the study:
- No. 13 – Livability
- No. 16 – Career and Education
- No. 40 – Tech Community
- No. 44 – Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- No. 53 – Internet Coverage and Quality
Austin's spot in No. 7 behind Plano's No. 4 might be surprising, but, according to the report, the Texas capital's higher cost of living is to blame.
"Texas’ capital, Austin is a good place for startups since it’s easy to find top talent, initial capital and inexpensive office space," wrote the report's author. "However, due to the rapid rise in population (3 percent between 2021 and 2022), the cost of living has increased and access to good real estate has become more costly. Even so, the city’s distinct culture, access to educational opportunities and work-life balance continue to make Austin a popular choice for many IT professionals."
With many employers still embracing remote work, having a good wifi connection can make or break a person's ability to work from home. It seems that helped Plano, as 96 percent of households in the Dallas suburb have internet access, which was the single best connection rate of any city in the study.
Frisco also topped out in one category in particular, earning the title as "the most livable city in the U.S." according to Cloudwards.
Average salaries for IT professionals in Frisco come out to about $95,516 annually, which is only a $217 difference from Plano at $95,733. Given Houston's middling rank on the list above, no data was shared.
Nationally, the cities that round out the top five most tech-savvy cities in the U.S. are:
- No. 1 – New York City, New York
- No. 2 – Washington, D.C.
- No. 3 – San Francisco, California
- No. 4 – Plano, Texas
- No. 5 – Jersey City, New Jersey
