Two Texas cities landed in the top 10 for CBRE’s ranking of the top 50 markets for tech talent in 2026.
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Looking for top talent in tech? A new ranking says a few Texas cities are among the best places to find it.
CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, released its 2026 Scoring Tech Talent report, ranking the top 50 tech talent markets across the U.S. and Canada. Two Texas cities claimed spots in the top 10.
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The ranking used 13 metrics to measure each market’s depth, vitality and ability to attract companies seeking tech talent and workers seeking tech jobs. Austin led the Lone Star State at No. 5, followed closely behind by Dallas-Fort Worth at No. 8.
AUSTIN, TX – MAY 07: General view of the Austin city skyline on May 07, 2026 in Austin, Texas. Austin ranked No. 5 on CBRE’s list of the top 50 tech talent markets for 2026.
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Diving deeper into the ratings
Often nicknamed “Silicon Hills” for its cluster of high-tech companies, Austin held onto its ranking from 2025. The city was among the markets with the highest share of tech talent working within the industry, including a particularly large share of software engineers at 63 percent.
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Austin is also one of North America’s most AI-heavy tech markets. About 17 percent of the city’s tech workforce has AI-specialty skills, trailing only the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle and tying Boston and New York.
In spot No. 8, the Dallas-Fort Worth metro ranked among the fastest-growing markets. Dallas was among the cities with the largest increases in tech jobs, adding 37,230 jobs between 2022 and ’25—representing a nearly 19 percent growth rate.
The DFW metro was also one of just nine markets where tech job growth was strong enough to outpace the number of new tech graduates. That distinction has become increasingly rare as tech hiring slows and the supply of new tech graduates grows, according to CBRE.
Dallas-Fort Worth also saw its pool of AI-specialty tech talent grow by at least 45 percent over the past year.
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The skyline of Dallas, Texas is seen, on May 14, 2026. The Dallas-Fort Worth area ranked No. 8 on CBRE’s list of the top 50 tech talent markets for 2026.
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What other Texas cities made the list?
Two other Texas cities were ranked among CBRE’s top 50 markets.
Houston claimed spot No. 32—up one place from its 2025 ranking. With an average salary of $125.1K and an average apartment rent of $1,362, the city fared relatively well for affordability. The city’s tech talent was rated “good,” with tech workers making up roughly 3.2 percent of Houston’s overall workforce.
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San Antonio also made an appearance on the list, ranking No. 43, down three spots from its placement last year.
Similar to Houston, San Antonio ranked well for affordability with an average salary of $122.7K and an average apartment rent of $1,157. However, office rents in the city rose more than 20 percent between 2020 and ’25.
CBRE’s top 10 tech markets
San Francisco Bay Area
Seattle
Toronto
New York Metro
Austin
Washington, D.C.
Boston
Dallas-Fort Worth
Vancouver
Waterloo Region [Ontario, Canada]
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CBRE’s top 10 up-and-coming tech markets
As part of the ranking, CBRE also released a list of 25 up-and-coming tech talent markets. These cities made it into the top 10:
Huntsville, Ala.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Dayton, Ohio
London, Ontario
Albany, N.Y.
Providence, R.I.
Las Vegas
Omaha, Neb.
Rochester, N.Y.
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