Contrary to the misinformation being spread in Austin, DFW – Arlington is the best place for tech workers in Texas. That’s according to a 2021 Smart Asset ranking that found DFW – Arlington the third best tech area in the country. Austin came in at number 12, third best in Texas behind San Antonio. DFW – Arlington obviously needs a tech public relations makeover.

The message was the same in Smart Asset’s 2020 survey with DFW – Arlington coming in tied for third and Austin and San Antonio tied for seventh place. Both DFW and San Antonio moved up in the 2021 survey while Austin fell five places.

How did Austin develop the perception of being the place to be for tech workers in Texas? Well, there are more tech jobs as a percentage of total jobs in Austin (6.75% compared to 4.66% in the Metroplex). When you consider the comparative size of the Austin-Round Rock SMSA to the DFW SMSA, there are many more actual tech jobs in DFW than in Austin. The annual cost of living is almost 3% lower in the Metroplex than in Austin while the average tech salary is 4.5% higher in the Metroplex than in Austin.  Clearly North Texas should rank higher than Austin.

Austin is doing a great job of using public relations to accent the things that appeal to emerging tech workers. Austin is “weird’. Austin has 6th Street. Austin has South by Southwest. Austin is one city.  Austin’s economic development folks do a great job of making Austin attractive.

Seems like a job for the North Texas Commission which represents the whole region. North Texas is a tech paradise. Some organization just needs to make it their mission to polish our image.

Who is Smart Asset? This is a self-description from their website: We are a team of techies, journalists and data nerds committed to bringing you transparency and accuracy no matter where you are in your financial journey. If you want to see their whole study, click on this link.