Arlington, Not Austin, Ranks as Texas’ Best City for Tech Careers

ARLINGTON, Texas (TXAN 24) — Arlington has been ranked the best city in Texas for a career in technology, placing 12th nationally in a new study examining the country’s strongest tech markets.

The study, conducted by software developer marketplace Lemon.io, analyzed the 250 most populated U.S. cities using five factors: computer-program education programs, graduation rates, WiFi hotspots, available technology jobs and highly rated technology companies.

Arlington posted an overall score of 64.6 out of 100, ranking ahead of both Dallas and Austin.

Dallas ranked 18th nationally with a score of 58.3, while Austin came in 29th with a score of 50.6.

The numbers also show Dallas leading Texas in available technology jobs, with 7,142 positions listed. Arlington followed with 6,001, while Austin had 4,319.

Arlington recorded 859 WiFi hotspots, a 57% average graduation rate at computer institutes and 2,285 technology companies rated at least three stars on Glassdoor.

Austin, long associated with Texas’ technology industry, ranked behind both North Texas cities despite having five institutes offering computer programs and 1,664 WiFi hotspots.

Nationally, Washington, D.C., topped the rankings, followed by St. Paul, Minnesota; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Miami, Florida; and Irvine, California.

Lemon.io CEO Aleksandr Volodarsky said the findings challenge the traditional perception of Austin as Texas’ undisputed technology capital.

“Arlington and Dallas both outperform it when you look at the full picture of job availability, education infrastructure, and employer quality,” Volodarsky said.

The study used data from the National Center for Education Statistics, WiFiMap and Glassdoor. Researchers standardized each factor on a 0-to-10 scale before applying weighted scores to produce the final index.

For Texas, the results put Arlington at the top, followed by Dallas and Austin—giving North Texas a notable position in the national competition for technology workers and employers.