Austin Ranked 8th Best U.S. Metro for STEM Professionals

Austin is eighth best metro in the U.S. for STEM professionals, according to a new report from CoworkingCafe.

CoworkingCafe determined its rankings by evaluating factors like number of STEM establishments, job density, job growth, average salaries, research universities, unemployment rate and more.

Austin stood out due to its STEM job growth of 42.2% per 1,000 jobs between 2019 and 2024, supported by The University of Texas at Austin as a major research institution. According to CoworkingCafe, Austin had nearly 164 STEM jobs per 1,000 positions and almost 2,850 STEM establishments. The city’s average annual salary for STEM jobs was $105,071.

Thom Singer, Austin Technology Council CEO, told the American-Statesman said he's not surprised by the new ranking.

"I've seen firsthand over the time I've lived here how we have evolved when it comes to tech and innovation and science," Singer said. "We're not just a tech hub. We're a science city."

In comparison, San Jose, California, the top-ranking large metro, boasts nearly 3,500 STEM establishments, a nearly 60% STEM job growth per 1,000 jobs, and an average annual salary of $142,464.

Dallas ranked sixth, ahead of Austin, with 6,552 STEM establishments and an average annual salary exceeding $116,600. San Antonio ranked 37th, while Houston landed at 40th.

For mid-sized metros, no Texas cities made the top ten; however, El Paso ranked 36th. In small metros, College Station secured sixth place, while Waco, Beaumont, and Lubbock followed at 32nd, 33rd, and 34th, respectively.

Austin has recently been ranked among the nation's top cities for college graduates, top technology metros in the South, and as a "Smart City Powerhouse."

However, these accolades come amid reports, including a May Wall Street Journal article, speculating that Austin is losing its status as a tech hub. Singer, however, dismisses that notion entirely.

"If you want to really compare Austin to where we were 30 years ago to where we are today, the line is up into the right and it's posed to continue for the next three decades," Singer said. "We thrive on new ideas. The University of Texas feeds us a pipeline of smart young people. This stuff has been going on, Austin's a place where it's been happening. I don't think those articles are based in reality."