Austin tops tech career growth, Raleigh second, San Francisco highest pay

A new nationwide database ranks U.S. cities for tech workers who want the fastest promotions, highest pay, and lowest risk of layoffs.

The data comes from a study by CompTIA, a nonprofit tech-industry group, which crunched 10 million job postings, salary surveys, and unemployment filings over the past 12 months. Austin, Raleigh-Durham, and Atlanta top the list for career growth, while San Francisco, Seattle, and New York offer the biggest paychecks but higher turnover. Stability favors smaller metros like Madison, Wisconsin, and Provo, Utah, where tech unemployment is near zero and companies rarely restructure.

Pay differentials are stark. A senior software engineer in San Francisco earns a median $205,000, but the same role in Raleigh brings $148,000—30 percent less. Yet Raleigh’s tech workers change jobs every 3.2 years on average, versus 2.4 years in San Francisco, where companies like Meta and Google have cut thousands of roles. Remote-friendly hubs such as Boise and Salt Lake City show up as rising stars, drawing workers priced out of coastal cities while still landing six-figure salaries.

The rankings arrive as tech layoffs slow but hiring remains selective. Companies now favor “productivity over headcount,” so workers chase places with clear promotion ladders and lower burnout. Venture capital is flowing into the South and Midwest, creating satellite offices that could shift rankings next year. For job seekers, the message is simple: choose location first, then negotiate salary with fresh data in hand.