Three new studies have named Dallas-Forth an ecosystem that’s ideal for startups and an attractive place for IT professionals to move to and work.

“Have laptop, will travel.”

That’s the mindset of tech workers who said in the first study—titled Tech on the Move, and released Wednesday by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)—that they’re willing to move to another city to better themselves. Dallas is the fourth most-popular destination on the list.

In another ranking released Wednesday, COMMERCIALCafé listed three North Texas cities in its Best 20 U.S. Cities for Startups and Entrepreneurs.

And, in the third study, The Center for an Urban Future said that Dallas-Fort Worth is among the metro areas that has experienced “meteoric growth” for startups since 2008.

“These days, every company in the Dallas region is a tech company, even if their brand isn’t synonymous with tech,” Duane Dankesreiter, senior vice president of research and innovation at the Dallas Regional Chamber, told Dallas Innovates. “And they are all looking to hire great tech talent. Our diverse industry base means if you are looking for a tech job, you’ll have a multitude of options, from Fortune 1000 companies to high-growth startups.”

CompTIA: Cost of living tops considerations for IT pros’ relocations

The new CompTIA ranking comes after it identified Dallas-Fort Worth last fall in The CompTIA Tech Town Index 2018 as the sixth best place in the nation where tech companies and workers can flourish.

Joining No. 4 Dallas in the top five destination cities for tech workers is Austin, Texas; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; and Denver, Colorado.

Also in the study, CompTIA asked 916 IT professionals and students whether they would consider leaving their current city for a new job. Some 78 percent of tech workers said they would consider it. Among that group, 82 percent said that cost of living was the most important factor in choosing where to live, and 73 percent said that job security was more important than salary in choosing where to work.

Dallas is a competitive market from a salary standpoint, with the average tech salary at $98,237, according to a new study by Business.org titled The Top Tech Salaries in 100 U.S. Cities. That’s the ninth-highest salary in the nation.

More women said job security was their top criteria than men, but by a small margin. Other factors affecting the choice of city to live in included weather and climate, commute times, affordable housing, quality parks and green space, crime rate, number of available tech jobs, average tech salaries, restaurants and bars, and proximity to famiy and friends.

Among the criteria that affected choosing where to work was expertise and ongoing learning, job locations, flexibility and autonomy, helping others, creativity and innovation, industry or type of business, position, and affiliation and connections.

Among generations, cost of living was the top factor for Gen Z, millennials, and tech professionals as a whole.

COMMERCIALCafé: Study shows early-stage tech startups’ success

COMMERCIALCafé’s list of the Best 20 U.S. Cities for Startups and Entrepreneurs included Fort Worth at No. 12, Dallas at No. 15, and Arlington at No. 19.

COMMERCIALCafé said the study was intended to focus mainly on factors relating to the success of early-stage tech startups.

Fort Worth is coming into its own as a startup city. COMMERCIALCafé cited plans made by the city, chamber of commerce, transportation authority, and others as addressing Fort Worth’s issues with jobs, talent, funding, and image. Fort Worth is ranked among the least rent-encumbered cities in the nation and is the fourth-most affordable for housing.

Dallas, COMMERCIALCafé said, is among the cheapest places to live, coming in at third for coworking cost affordability, fifth for rent-to-income costs, and 19th for wage growth. Talent is abundant, but not cheap in Dallas, the ranking said.

Arlington was lauded for its housing affordability and for being home to the University of Texas at Arlington, which it said is a driver of entrepreneurship.

The Center for an Urban Future: ‘Meteor growth’ of startups enriches U.S. cities

Lastly, the study released this month by The Center for an Urban Future shows that tech startups have achieved “meteoric growth” in cities across the nation, with Dallas ranking No. 11 with a 223 percent growth rate since 2008. San Francisco led the list with 421 percent growth during that time-frame.

Dallas grew from 400 startups to 1,293, the study said. And, Dallas’ growth rate topped others in the state rivals, including No. 12 Austin and No. 17 Houston.

The Center for an Urban Future based its study on a detailed analysis of data from Crunchbase, which tracks tech-enabled startups via a mix of public, private, and self-reported sources.

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