Detroit, MI
The Motor City
Once the heart of the American automotive industry, Detroit spent a few decades struggling against population and job loss. In an attempt at a turnaround, the community has done its best to encourage an influx of tech companies, an effort that began to pay off in 2015, when Amazon opened a local tech center. Microsoft also broke ground on a similar facility in the city two years later, and Apple launched a Developer Academy for budding entrepreneurs and technology professionals in 2021.
But Detroit’s comeback isn’t rooted solely in the big tech companies: rising VC investment, a relatively low cost of living and a steady stream of talent from Michigan’s colleges and universities have made it attractive territory for startups. And even as new tech companies set up shop, Detroit’s long-storied automotive industry might be enjoying a more tech-centric rebirth, with giants such as General Motors hiring technology professionals to build out new lines of EV vehicles and next-generation car software.
Size: 139 square miles
YoY Postings Growth: +41.6%
Tech Job Report Posting Rank: 30
Top Hiring Organizations: Deloitte, Accenture, General Dynamics, Microsoft, General Motors
Top Occupations: Software developer/engineer, business analyst, data analyst/engineer/scientist, solutions architect, Java developer, DevOps engineer
Average Tech Salary: $99,376
Neighborhood Spotlight:
Midtown
“Midtown is ‘one of the most welcoming areas to the startup community,’ says Ted Serbinski, managing director of Techstars Detroit. At its heart sits Green Garage, a 1920s auto showroom-turned-co-working space that houses 50 businesses, including FoodLab Detroit and solar design firm Strawberry Solar.”
- Inc.com
What’s it like to live in The Motor City?
Median Home Cost: $85,000
Average Rent (One BR Apt.): $1,176
Universities: University of Detroit Mercy, Wayne State University, University of Michigan–Dearborn
Houston, TX
Space City
While Houston’s official nickname comes from the Houston Space Center, a prominent NASA astronaut training and flight control facility, Mayor Sylvester Turner has recently proposed an additional moniker: Silicon Bayou. The concept was spawned by Google’s decision to open a Houston location, and the tech giant joined players like Asurion, AWS, Fiserv, Dell, IBM and Siemens, as well as a range of VC-backed startups who have a presence in the city.
Nicknames aside, Houston led all cities in tech job posting growth in 2022 (as of October 31), with a 45.6% increase year-over-year. Although sometimes overshadowed by the cachet of Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, Houston is absolutely a tech hub in its own right, attracting a mix of major tech companies and VC-backed startups to join its already established base of aerospace, defense and energy companies.
Population: 2,345,606
Size: 640 square miles
Growth Since 2020: +1.4%
YoY Postings Growth: +45.6%
Tech Job Report Posting Rank: 6
Top Hiring Organizations: Deloitte, Accenture, KPMG, JPMorgan Chase, UnitedHealth Group
Top Occupations: Software developer/engineer, business analyst, .NET developer, data analyst/engineer/scientist, DevOps engineer, Network engineer, Full Stack developer
Average Tech Salary: $100,341
Neighborhood Spotlight:
Innovation Corridor
"Dozens of new startup support operations and infrastructure projects have recently opened or are now underway along the Corridor — from new incubators and accelerators to a collaborative life sciences research campus. Anchored on the south by the world’s largest medical complex, the Texas Medical Center, and top-ranked Rice University, the Corridor runs north along Houston’s light-rail line through the verdant 700-acre Hermann Park and oak-lined boulevards of the Museum District."
What’s it like to live in Space City?
Median Home Cost: $349,900
Average Rent (One BR Apt.): $1,304
Universities: Rice University, University of Houston, Texas Southern University
Orlando, FL
Tomorrowland
Known for its theme parks and retirees escaping colder weather, Orlando has focused on a return to its roots as a hub for tech, defense and training. With its proximity to Kennedy Space Center, and home to major tech employers like Lockheed Martin, Oracle, Deloitte and Disney, Orlando’s inclusive and collaborative community is a welcome breath of fresh air for tech professionals looking for something with a lower cost of living than other tech hubs (and the lack of income tax is a nice perk, too!).
At the center of the Sunshine State, Orlando is well connected with an international airport and growing inter-city transport, with the Brightline rail scheduled to begin service in 2023 which will connect the city with Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Though Orlando certainly has strong local competition in the form of Tampa and Miami, its 42.7% year-over-year growth in tech job postings, thanks in large part to startups like Red 6 and Stax, shows the city’s efforts to expand are working.
Population: 321,427
Size: 111 square miles
Growth Since 2020: +4.5%
YoY Postings Growth: +42.7%
Tech Job Report Posting Rank: 29
Top Hiring Organizations: Lockheed Martin, Deloitte, KPMG, Disney, Universal Orlando
Top Occupations: Software engineer/developer, systems engineer/administrator, business analyst, DevOps engineer, data analyst/scientist, .NET developer
Average Tech Salary: $103,431
Neighborhood Spotlight:
Lake Nona
"Located in the southeast sector of Orlando adjacent to the Orlando International Airport lies Lake Nona, a 17-square-mile master-planned community that is a modern mecca for technology, innovation and community. When you’re in Lake Nona, you can see and feel an energy unique from other places. From its transformative Lake Nona Medical City, where research facilities work together with the country’s leading hospitals and educational institutions, to launching the future of transportation with the construction of America’s first high-speed, electric air mobility hub, Lake Nona is a place where nearly no dream is out of reach."
What’s it like to live in Tomorrowland?
Median Home Cost: $339,000
Average Rent (One BR Apt.): $1,937
Universities: University of Central Florida, Rollins College, Valencia College
Photo: lakenona.com