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Top Tech Talent Hubs in the U.S. and Canada
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As emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing become increasingly mainstream, the demand for skilled developers, engineers, scientists, and other tech workers is more critical than ever.
This map visualizes the biggest tech talent hubs in North America, showing the number of tech talent jobs in major cities as well as their percent change in tech talent jobs from 2018 to 2023.
The data is for 2023 and comes from CBRE’s Scoring Tech Talent 2024 report, which defines tech talent as: “a group of highly skilled workers in more than 20 technology-oriented occupations driving innovation across all industry sectors” and generally refers to technical roles in any industry, not just positions in the tech industry.
The Bay Area Remains the Top Tech Talent Hub
Below, we show the top tech talent hubs in North America, the number of tech talent jobs in each market, and their percent change in tech jobs from 2018 to 2023.
| Market | Tech Talent Total (2023) | % Change (2018-2023) |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | 436,740 | 18.6% |
| New York Metropolitan Area | 389,290 | 6.1% |
| Toronto | 314,100 | 44.0% |
| Washington, D.C. | 260,430 | -6.8% |
| Los Angeles-Orange County | 258,640 | 12.6% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 227,640 | 25.6% |
| Seattle | 195,390 | 20.4% |
| Boston | 169,830 | 1.5% |
| Montreal | 166,600 | 30.3% |
| Chicago | 160,790 | -9.5% |
| Atlanta | 138,080 | -7.1% |
| Denver | 129,040 | 12.6% |
| Houston | 113,850 | 7.3% |
| Phoenix | 108,380 | 17.2% |
| Philadelphia | 105,930 | -8.5% |
| Austin | 99,460 | 29.1% |
| Vancouver | 98,700 | 30.7% |
| Detroit | 97,720 | -3.0% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | 94,020 | -5.1% |
| Ottawa | 91,500 | 51.7% |
| South Florida | 80,650 | 13.9% |
| San Diego | 80,400 | 3.2% |
| Baltimore | 75,200 | -6.1% |
| Raleigh-Durham | 75,150 | 17.9% |
| Charlotte | 71,050 | 19.3% |
| Portland | 70,220 | 9.40% |
| Tampa | 59,650 | 14.90% |
| Calgary | 59,500 | 78.10% |
| Salt Lake City | 57,560 | 12.90% |
| St. Louis | 53,780 | -6.60% |
| Kansas City | 52,420 | -6.30% |
The San Francisco Bay Area (436,740 tech talent workers) and the New York Metropolitan Area (389,290 workers) remain the two largest tech talent markets in 2023.
Home to the Silicon Valley and big tech giants like Apple and Google, San Francisco has consistently been the top market for tech workers, adding over 68,000 tech talent workers between 2018 and 2023–a 18.6% increase.
The New York area saw slower overall growth in its tech talent market, adding about 22,000 workers in the same period, or a 6.1% increase. New York serves as a major economic hub, employing tech professionals across various industries, including finance (JP Morgan, Bloomberg), healthcare (Mount Sinai Health System and Pfizer), and digital media (Spotify, NBC).
Tech Talent Rising Across Canadian Cities
The Bay Area and Canada’s capital Ottawa also tied for the most concentrated tech talent markets, with tech workers comprising 12.3% of total employment in these markets.
Ottawa is home to many of the Canadian federal government’s agencies, which employ thousands of tech workers.
Canadian cities particularly had the highest tech job growth rates among North American cities between 2018 and 2023, with tech talent in Calgary growing by 78.1%, 51.7% in Ottawa, 44% in Toronto, and 30.7% in Vancouver.
Toronto added 95,900 tech talent jobs, the most out of all markets in North America. The major Canadian metropolitan is experiencing a tech “boom”, particularly due to the high concentration of AI talent in the city.
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