Just after writing that Seattle finished #11 for tech-readiness, we came across another techcentric ranking that puts the metro area, again, just out of the top 10. New Geography’s annual assessment of the Best Cities for Jobs ranks Seattle No. 11.
Joel Kotkin writes,
While speculation is mounting that they’re overheating, the tech boom is still creating jobs at a rapid pace in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, placing them atop our annual assessment of The Best Cities For Jobs for the third year in a row.
He points out the uneven distribution of tech employment and the changing shape of the economy. And he identifies a potential shift.
Yet the success of the Bay Area, particularly its western strip along the San Francisco Peninsula, also has had a spillover impact on other tech hubs. High housing prices, intensified by the force of California’s regulatory regime, has driven many employers to seek other, more affordable locations. A recent study by California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office found that the area’s top tech executives see high housing prices as the biggest barrier to future growth.
If this is a headache for these tech moguls, it’s manna from heaven for upstart metro areas like Austin-Round, Texas (sixth place on our list of Best Cities For Jobs); Raleigh, N.C. (ninth); Denver-Aurora-Lakewood (seventh) and Portland, Ore. (10th). Although not inexpensive by national standards, these areas are natural catch-basins for tech workers and companies.
Metro Seattle should be on that list, as well.
