The Top Five Fastest-Growing Tech Hubs

The fastest-growing cities in the country when it comes to technology jobs posted on Dice may have been unexpected in the past. But, with communities coming together to support start-ups, court large employers and fund STEM education initiatives, no one should be surprised that “traditional tech centers” need a new definition.

Click through for the five fastest-growing tech hubs, as identified by Dice.

The number of St. Louis-based technology jobs posted on Dice jumped 25 percent year/year. And those new tech jobs are coming at a higher price tag too: average tech salaries are up 13 percent year/year to $81,245. Popular jobs? Developers, programmers and consultants. St. Louis is becoming a start-up town, with support from the St. Louis Information Technology Entrepreneur Network.

Tech recruiting activity in Charlotte is off to a fast start in 2013, with job postings on Dice up 22 percent year/year. That’s impressive growth, considering North Carolina’s tech workforce already grew 6 percent last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A new wave of investments in energy is under way in Charlotte, which could provide a further boost for technology and engineering jobs.

Tech jobs are up 16 percent year/year in Austin, with more than 1,100 available postings on any given day. Austin also ranks in the top 10 for salary nationwide, according to the 2012-2013 Dice Salary Survey. Austin tech salaries were flat year/year, from $89,419 in 2011 to $89,680 in 2012, but that’s coming off of last year, when Austin was the fastest-growing city for tech salaries (+13 percent). Austin salaries are above the national average of $85,619.

The number four just keeps coming up for Phoenix. Not only is it the fourth-ranked, fastest-growing city for technology job postings, Phoenix also ranked fourth-fastest in the country for tech salary growth, up 12 percent year/year to $83,607, according to the Dice Salary Survey. How many Fortune 500 companies are located in Phoenix? You guessed it – four.

Detroit is the only two-timer on the list, having worn the crown for fastest growing city in 2011, as measured by job postings on Dice. Back then, Detroit had more than 800 tech jobs posted on any given day. Now it’s more than 1,100. Automation Alley, Michigan’s largest technology association, ranked the Greater Detroit region among the best for its strong record of students completing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees.