Phoenix Ranks Among North America's Top 20 Tech-Talent Markets in CBRE's 2026 Scoring Tech Talent Report

Phoenix ranked No. 20 among North America's leading technology-talent markets in CBRE's 2026 Scoring Tech Talent report, maintaining its 2025 ranking as the region continues to attract investment in semiconductors, data centers, advanced manufacturing and other high-growth industries

CBRE's annual report analyzes 75 U.S. and Canadian markets and ranks the top 50 by their ability to attract, retain, and grow highly skilled technology workers. This year's report highlights the continued impact of artificial intelligence on talent demand and workforce development.

"Phoenix continues to demonstrate the fundamentals that employers value most: a large and diverse talent pool, a growing pipeline of tech graduates, a strong advanced-manufacturing ecosystem and a cost profile that remains competitive relative to many coastal markets," said Kevin Calihan, executive vice president at CBRE. "While the technology sector is evolving rapidly due to artificial intelligence and changing workforce needs, Phoenix remains well positioned to support long-term growth across semiconductors, data centers, advanced manufacturing and other innovation-driven industries."

The report found that AI-skilled tech talent across the U.S. and Canada increased 45% year over year to 751,000 workers, while AI-related positions accounted for 31% of U.S. technology job listings as of June 2026.

Phoenix's technology workforce remains one of the largest, just behind Austin, supported by continued investment in advanced manufacturing, semiconductor production and technology infrastructure. The region's economic diversification and population growth continue to support long-term demand for technology talent.

Tech Talent Rankings

CBRE defines tech talent as highly skilled workers across more than 20 technology-oriented occupations in all industries, including computer and information systems managers, software developers and hardware engineers. CBRE ranks North American tech talent markets through a weighted analysis of 13 metrics such as tech talent concentration, tech talent pipeline and research and development investment.

Tech Talent Top 10 By Index Score

Market	Tech Talent Score	Market	Tech Talent Score
San Francisco	81.98	Washington, D.C.	62.95
Seattle	74.37	Boston	62.88
Toronto	72.73	Dallas-Fort Worth	62.25
New York Metro	70.38	Vancouver	60.52
Austin	64.26	Waterloo Region	60.00

Phoenix stood out in the report in several other key measures:

• Tech talent accounts for 4.2% of total employment in the market.
• Generated 18,481 tech degree graduates from 2022-2024, ranking among the leading education markets in North America.
• Maintains an average tech-talent wage of $121,166, while remaining more affordable than many higher-ranked coastal tech hubs.
• Average apartment rent of $1,474 per month results in a 14.6% rent-to-tech-wage ratio, which is eighth most affordable among the top 50 markets.
• Population growth remains a competitive advantage. Phoenix's ranks of 20-somethings with college degrees increased by 23.9% from 2019 to 2024, the seventh most among U.S. markets.
• Phoenix's population of 30-somethings with college degrees increased by 25.9% in the same timeframe, 11^th most in the U.S.
• The market recorded an estimated 8,445 AI-specialty tech workers, ranking as 20^th largest among the 50 markets.