Two Texas cities rank in top tech towns

CompTIA's annual Tech Town Index is out and the results do not disappoint. For the second year in a row, Austin was named the top tech town in the U.S.

The report is based on tech-sector job posting data over the last year in 20 metropolitan areas with populations over 250,000, then ranked based on cost of living, number of postings for open IT positions and projected job growth over the next year, as well as the next five years.

Texas is giving the rest of the U.S. a run for its money, claiming the top two spots: Austin at number one followed by Dallas in number two.

On top of Austin's stellar leap into becoming a tech leader, the city also ranked number one for one-year and five-year percent job growth.

What moved Austin to the top?

A stellar past few years.

Austin is quickly becoming a preferable alternative to the Bay Area and New York City due to a culture that allows businesses of all sizes to grow.

According to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, 58 tech companies relocated to Austin in 2019, which created almost 5,000 jobs, a step up from the 46 companies that moved to the city in 2018.

Now, the Austin-Round Rock area is home to around 5,500 startups and tech companies that raised $1.84 billion in venture funding in 2019, giving it the nickname from outsiders, "Little Silicon" and "Silicon Hills." Big companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and Atlassian have offices in Austin.

Even though Austin was named one of the most expensive cities in terms of real estate, the city is still 4% below average cost of living when compared to the rest of the U.S. Only Columbus, Ohio; Atlanta, Georgia and Huntsville, Alabama ranked above Austin in the same category.

Austin is growing at lightspeed and according to CompTIA, "it's no surprise that the city has been named the fastest-growing major metro area in the U.S.—and is the reigning No. 1 Tech Town."