Top tech talent is pretty picky when it comes to work. But with such high demand for software engineers across the country, the world truly is their oyster.
According to a recent report from The Conference Board, talent in the technology sector remains in low supply as demand continues to skyrocket. As of January 2015, the report counted nearly 600,000 advertised job openings in computer and mathematical science in the U.S., but only 100,000 job seekers in the field. That's about five jobs for every one qualified professional.
These qualified professionals aren't just looking for a well-paying job and all of the general perks, either — they're also making their decision based on a company's location. Job site Indeed analyzed data on millions of software job listings and searches, finding that location is perhaps the best perk you could offer tech talent.
While foundational cities like San Francisco and San Jose might be the first to come to mind when you think "engineer," other cities are quickly becoming the new hotspots for tech talent. Here are five cities that, according to Indeed's report, made the most headway in attracting new techies and closing the talent gap from 2013 to 2015:
1. Los Angeles, California
Decrease in tech talent gap from 2013 to 2015: 51%
Population: 3.8 million
Average salary for software engineer: $84,504
Average rent for one-bedroom apartment: $1,617
Most popular programming language: PHP
Notable tech companies: Cornerstone, IBM, SpaceX, Ticketmaster
2. Denver, Colorado
Decrease in tech talent gap from 2013 to 2015: 49%
Population: 649,495
Average salary for software engineer: $79,901
Average rent for one-bedroom apartment: $1,519
Notable tech companies: HomeAdvisor, MapQuest, TeleTech, ViaWest
3. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Decrease in tech talent gap from 2013 to 2015: 45%
Population: 400,070
Average salary for software engineer: $75,182
Average rent for one-bedroom apartment: $1,030
Notable tech companies: Accenture, Concur, Ecolab, Magenic
4. Seattle, Washington
Decrease in tech talent gap from 2013 to 2015: 45%
Population: 652,405
Average salary for software engineer: $97,343
Average rent for one-bedroom apartment: $1,661/month
Notable tech companies: Amazon, Expedia, Microsoft, Zillow
5. Austin, Texas
Decrease in tech talent gap from 2013 to 2015: 44%
Population: 885,400
Average salary for software engineer: $77,123
Average rent for one bedroom apartment: $1,479/month
Notable tech companies: Blackbaud, Dell, Luminex, WP Engine
Sources: Populations from US Census Bureau; average salaries from PayScale; average rents from Numbeo; talent gap decreases and top programming languages from Indeed report
Images: Shutterstock
