Dallas-Fort Worth ranked No. 8 among 50 North American markets in CBRE’s Scoring Tech Talent 2026 report, adding 37,230 tech workers between 2022 and 2025 — the second-largest gain of any market tracked. [Illustration: Adobe Stock]
Dallas-Fort Worth already enjoys a reputation as a financial services hub on the rise. Now, the North Texas tech sector could make a case for sharing the Y’all Street spotlight.
A new report from Dallas-based commercial real estate company CBRE Group Inc. ranked DFW eighth out of 50 North American markets for overall tech talent. It is the first time the region placed in the top 10. The data paints a picture of a tech sector closing ground on longtime heavyweights like the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.
DFW adds second-most tech workers
The report, Scoring Tech Talent 2026, said North Texas captured the No. 2 spot for tech talent additions from 2022 to 2025, adding 37,230 workers. That’s behind only Toronto’s 75,000 and ahead of New York’s 30,640.
Among large markets, which the study defines as more than 50,000 tech workers, DFW also ranked second for percentage growth at 18.7%. Toronto, at 26.5%, grabbed first place in this category.
AI workforce booms in North Texas
The CBRE report dove into the white-hot AI segment of the tech job market.
DFW saw at least a 45% year-over-year jump in the number of specialized AI workers, numbering 29,840, the report said. Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Chicago notched similar levels of growth from mid-2025 to mid-2026. Overall, DFW ranked sixth for the number of specialized AI workers.
“AI software and hardware developers are the most sought-after tech talent by employers,” CBRE said.
Y’all Street takes up considerable space in the region’s AI talent pool. The report showed DFW boasted a 20% concentration of AI workers in the financial services industry. That metric put North Texas in a tie with New York City, widely regarded as the world’s financial center. Professional and business services claimed an even larger share of the region’s AI talent, at 25%.
In a separate report, CompTIA ranked DFW fifth among U.S. metros in hiring for AI-specific roles. More broadly, the report ranked DFW third nationally for tech job postings. It also projected the region would add the second-most net new tech jobs of any U.S. metro this year.
Tech talent pipeline plays catch-up
Dallas-Fort Worth joined Toronto, Calgary, Seattle and Nashville as standout markets. In each, the creation of tech jobs exceeded the number of tech graduates.
Speaking of graduates, North Texas held an edge regarding young talent in the U.S. At 30%, the region ranked second for growth in the number of degree-holders in their 20s from 2019 to 2024.
DFW also ranked third among only nine markets where new tech jobs outdistanced the local supply of tech graduates. At nearly 53%, North Texas topped the list of fastest-growing metros for tech degree production from 2021 to 2024.
Beyond the trophy wins: DFW’s tech talent play
John Boyd Jr., principal of The Boyd Co. Inc., said he and fellow site selectors are taking note of DFW’s impressive gains in tech talent and, more narrowly, AI tech talent. The region’s more than 45% growth in “coveted” AI-specialty jobs puts it among the large AI employment clusters outside “very top” coastal markets like the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston and Philadelphia, he said.
“What’s taking place on the economic development front in Dallas-Fort Worth is becoming less a story about the latest corporate trophy win and more about the Metroplex building a technology ecosystem at scale,” Boyd told Dallas Innovates.
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R E A D N E X T
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