Raleigh falls four spots – to 7th – in rankings of top ‘Tech Towns’

RALEIGH – Raleigh has fallen from third to seventh in a national ranking index, based on data analyzed by CompTIA.

In the fourth annual rankings report, CompTIA’s Tech Town Index, Raleigh ranked seventh, Durham remained 13th, and Charlotte ranked ahead of both Triangle metropolitan statistical areas, finishing sixth.

CompTIA conducted the analysis of regions with more than 250,000 people, then studied the 20 regions where there were the most total job openings in 2021, according a blog post with the company’s analysis. According to CompTIA, the report is issued annually to assist IT workers in navigating the geographic locations where “opportunity intersects with affordability and quality of life.”

In 2021, Raleigh ranked third and Durham ranked 13th.

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Why Raleigh ranked 7th

It’s not that Raleigh has seen a drop-off in its technology talent or the area’s infrastructure and support organizations, the CompTIA report noted.

“Maybe other metro areas like Atlanta and Huntsville just stepped it up this year,” the report reads.

In 2018, the inaugural year of the index, Raleigh ranked second. The region ranked second again in 2019, then fell to third in 2019.

Of course, Apple announced it would invest in the region, and would hire as many as 3,000 people. It won’t just be Apple that seeks talent in a labor market where companies are posting a record number of jobs, the report noted.

“In total Raleigh advertised for 41,240 technology jobs this year alone – and more than 11,000 of those were for software developers and engineers,” the report reads. And the number of job postings are expected to grow to about 44,500 by 2026, the report notes.

The median wage for an IT worker who lives in the region, is $95,786, according to the report.

“And while housing can be expensive in this area, the general cost of living is the lowest of the three Carolina metro areas on the index,” the report concludes.

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Why Durham ranked 13th

Durham’s ranking remained consistent across 2021’s report and 2022’s report, even as the region attracted a major investment from Google, as the company announced last March that it would bring some 1,000 high-paying technology roles to Durham.

The area received high marks for access to quality, educated talent, according to CompTIA’s blog post, and for its entrepreneurial support programs.

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The report also noted the burgeoning life science industry, particularly for gene therapy companies including GeneCentric Therapeutics, which was listed by name in the report.

“In 2021, the Durham-Chapel Hill area advertised for 16,924 open IT positions,” the report noted. “Additionally, the number of IT jobs is expected to grow to 24,462 over the next five years.”

And those jobs earn a median salary above the area median wage, according to the report. That median salary is $94,211 for IT professionals, according to the report.

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Why Charlotte ranked 6th

Charlotte’s technology job openings are high, and expected to increase, the report notes.

Already with some 61,000 technology jobs in the metropolitan statistical area, with 53,504 roles advertised in 2021, the region is expected to a grow its technology workforce by 2.5% over the next year and by 8.8% in the next five years, the report notes.

“There’s money to be made here and a good quality of life to be had,” the report reads. “IT pros can expect to earn a median salary of $93,600 in the Charlotte area and a cost of living that is nearly 2% lower than the national average.”

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How cities were ranked

The study analyzed job posting data from 2021. In North Carolina, technology jobs increased to record highs in the third and fourth quarter, before dropping a bit in December, only to rise to new heights again in January 2022.

According to CompTIA, they analyzed the 20 regions where demand was greatest, ranking them based on factors such as cost of living, number of postings for open IT position, and projected job growth over the next 12 months as well as the next five years.