Nice Payoff
Dallas-Fort Worth tech jobs rate among the highest paying in the U.S.
Dallas-Fort Worth sits in the top 10 among American tech hubs where the paychecks of tech workers stretch the furthest, a new study shows.
The study, conducted by Austin-based job website Indeed, ranks 25 of the country’s tech hubs based on where the average tech worker’s salary is highest when adjusted for the local cost of living. DFW appears at No. 7 on the list, with an identical actual salary and adjusted salary of $101,649.
While DFW ranks seventh overall, it’s in first place for the average adjusted salary of two tech occupations:
- Data scientist — $140,000
- iOS developer — $125,000
To compile the ranking, Indeed calculated the average salary for 158 tech occupations in 25 metro areas using annual salary information posted on Indeed between August 2016 and July 2017.
The Austin area shows up at No. 3 in the Indeed ranking, with an average actual tech salary of $103,914 and an average tech salary adjusted for cost of living of $103,394. Among the 25 metro areas, Austin ranks first for the average adjusted salary of a front-end developer ($115,578).
In Central Texas, a $100,000 tech job “will get you more bedrooms, avocado toasts, and climbing-gym memberships” than a $100,000 tech job in coastal California, according to Indeed.
The Houston area doesn’t fare as well in the Indeed ranking. There, the average actual tech salary is $97,751, but the average tech salary adjusted for cost of living is $98,631.
At No. 1 on Indeed’s list is Charlotte, North Carolina, followed by Atlanta (No. 2); Austin (No. 3); San Francisco (No. 4); Seattle (No. 5); and San Jose, California (No. 6).
In last place, at No. 25, is Miami-Fort Lauderdale.
“After Charlotte and Atlanta, four leading tech hubs — Austin, San Francisco, Seattle, and San Jose — follow in a near tie for adjusted tech salaries,” Indeed says. “That means that the premiums in those eye-popping San Francisco and Silicon Valley paychecks get entirely wiped out relative to Austin and Seattle when the Bay Area’s high living costs are factored in.”
Indeed adds that while a tech salary goes furthest in Charlotte and Atlanta, the San Francisco Bay Area, Austin, and Seattle offer “a richer selection of tech jobs to choose from, with salaries that will stretch nicely.”
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