The 10 best US cities for tech workers don't include New York or San Francisco

There are roughly 700,000 open tech jobs in the U.S. today. 

Though major cities like New York and San Francisco are the primary hubs for the tech industry, personal finance company SmartAsset found that many smaller cities in the U.S. also provide strong opportunities for tech workers.

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau's American Community Survey and the Council for Community and Economic Research, SmartAsset created a list of The Best American Cities to Work in Tech in 2019. To come up with the results, SmartAsset evaluated 172 cities on five factors: average salary, the cost of living compared to national average, the percentage of workforce in tech, the unemployment rate for residents with a bachelor's degree and the ratio of average pay to tech pay in the city.

For the third year in a row, Columbus, Ohio takes the top spot. Not only do tech workers in Columbus earn an average salary of $92,440, which is 1.8 times the pay of the average worker in the city, but they also benefit from affordable housing. On a scale of 0-100, when compared to the national average, Columbus has a cost of living index of 90.9. This means that living in the city is, on average, 10% cheaper than the rest of the U.S.

Take a look below to see where you might want to consider moving if you want a high-paying tech job and a low cost of living:

Percentage of workforce in tech: 2.09%
Average salary: $78,770
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.79
Cost of living index: 85.1
Unemployment rate: 2.6%

Percentage of workforce in tech: 3.55%
Average salary: $84,140
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.67
Cost of living index: 87.9
Unemployment rate: 3%

Percentage of workforce in tech: 6.77%
Average salary: $97,340
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.78
Cost of living index: 93.6
Unemployment rate: 3.6%

Percentage of workforce in tech: 2.7%
Average salary: $84,790
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.82
Cost living index: 86.9
Unemployment rate: 3.2%

Percentage of workforce in tech: 4.44%
Average salary: $83,820
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.61
Cost of living index: 90.6
Unemployment rate: 2.3%

Percentage of workforce in tech: 2.88%
Average salary: $83,090
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.76
Cost of living index: 94.6
Unemployment rate: 1.4%

Percentage of workforce in tech: 4.14%
Average salary: $83,260
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.69
Cost of living index: 93.9
Unemployment rate: 1.8%

Percentage of workforce in tech: 5.69%
Average salary: $91,680
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.74
Cost of living index: 91.6
Unemployment rate: 2.6%

Percentage of workforce in tech: 4.23%
Average salary: $93,820
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.78
Cost of living index: 90.9
Unemployment rate: 2.7%

Percentage of workforce in tech: 4.21%
Average salary: $92,440
Ratio of tech wage to average wage: 1.80
Cost of living index: 90.9
Unemployment rate: 2.3%

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