If you’re fortunate enough to posess a computer science degree, or have picked up coding skills on your own time, you have the option to live and work virtually anywhere in the world.

But in certain cities, tech companies and well-funded startups are hiring software engineers, and there are simply not enough to meet the demand. These companies are often willing to pay sky-high salaries, typically well into the six-figures for experienced programmers.

Popular job site Indeed has analyzed a wealth of employment data for its list of cities that are hiring computer scientists. We were surprised to see that San Francisco didn’t clinch the top spot, given that the Bay Area is widely considered the technology and innovation capital.

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Indeed’s engineering team also analyzed computer science job postings to determine how much computer scientists are paid. These are the five most in demand jobs on Indeed (ranked in order), and their corresponding average annual salaries.

Average annual salary: $94,000

Average annual salary: $92,000

Average annual salary:  $98,000

Average annual salary: $89,000

The Big Apple has 4,942 openings for computer science jobs. New York’s tech scene, which is often referred to as “Silicon Alley” rivals the Bay Area. Tech companies headquartered in New York include Meetup and ZocDoc.
San Francisco, which is often referred to as the innovation capital, has 3890 job openings for computer scientists on Indeed. Programmers have the option to work at some of the most well known tech companies, like Twitter, Uber, Airbnb, or they can pick one of thousands of early-stage startups.
Seattle is home to Microsoft, making it a business technology hub. The city currently has 3,040 computer science job openings. Unsurprisingly, Microsoft Sharepoint developers are in hot demand.
Chicago’s most famous tech company? Groupon, the daily deals giant. It also has a growing startup ecosystem. Computer scientists can apply for 2,788 on Indeed.

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