Phoenix Ranks Among Top 20 Markets in CBRE’s Annual ‘Scoring Tech Talent’ Report

Phoenix ranks No. 20 overall in CBRE’s 2025 Scoring Tech Talent report, as tech talent hiring in North America slowed despite strong growth in artificial-intelligence specialty talent, according to a new report from CBRE.

Phoenix saw strong tech talent job growth from 2021 to 2024, expanding its tech talent labor pool by 5.6% to 102,540 people. From 2021 to 2023, the city produced more tech graduates (17,949) than tech jobs added (5,400). This makes Phoenix an attractive market for expanding companies who are seeking skilled professionals.

“Metro Phoenix offers a large, skilled tech talent labor pool and produces more than 6,000 tech degree graduates annually,” said Kevin Calihan, Executive Vice President at CBRE. “This combination of talent availability and affordability makes Phoenix an increasingly attractive destination for tech companies looking to expand or relocate.”

Overall, U.S. tech talent employment grew only 1.1% (64,140 jobs) in 2024, far below its peak in 2022 (+7%). Canada had stronger growth (+5.9%) than the U.S., adding 66,600 tech talent jobs overall, primarily in the high-tech industry. The number of computer and information systems managers surged in the U.S. (+9%) and Canada (+16%) due to the widespread adoption of AI, making that job the fastest growing among all tech talent roles across North America. In 2024, computer and information systems managers accounted for 83% of U.S. tech talent job growth.

CBRE’s annual Scoring Tech Talent report covers 75 North American markets, ranks the top 50 tech markets in the U.S. and Canada and outlines tech talent labor market trends amid economic shifts and increased remote hiring. Tech talent is a group of highly skilled workers in more than 20 tech-oriented occupations – such as software engineers and systems and data managers – across all industries.

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

• From 2018-2023, Phoenix saw a 23.4% gain in residents in their 20s with college degrees, ranking fifth among large tech talent markets in the U.S.
• In the same timeframe, Phoenix saw a 21.8% increase in residents in their 30s with college degrees, the eight-best gain among large U.S. markets
• Tech wages increased by 18.1% in Phoenix from 2021 to 2024 to an average of $118,645, ranking 18st of the 50 markets.
• Phoenix has an Artificial Intelligence tech talent pool of 5,600 individuals.
• Phoenix is relatively affordable for tech workers. The city’s average annualized apartment rent as a percentage of its average annual tech wage stands at 15.4%, ranking 13th least expensive of the 50 markets.