A new list of best markets for STEM workers in the U.S. does not include a single tech-heavy Bay Area city in the top five. Instead, cities like Madison, Minneapolis and Seattle lead the list. San Francisco ranked number eight overall — a drop from number five in 2019.
WalletHub studied 100 of the largest metro areas in the U.S. in key areas like per-capita job openings for new graduates to recreation-friendliness.
While cities like San Francisco and San Jose ranked high in professional opportunity metrics like wage growth, they took a big hit in quality of life categories, which includes housing affordability.
Large companies have also recently taken a shine to burgeoning tech hubs. Companies like Tesla and Oracle announced in 2020 they were moving their headquarters from the Bay Area to Austin, the number two city overall on the list.
Here is the complete top 10 list:
1. Seattle, WA2. Austin, TX3. Boston, MA4. Madison, WI5. Minneapolis, MN6. Atlanta, GA7. Pittsburgh, PA8. San Francisco, CA9. Salt Lake City, UT10. Orlando, FL
