Columbus is No. 5 on ‘Best Cities for Young IT Professionals’ list

Columbus has landed high on a list for the most attractive cities in the U.S. for young information technology professionals, ranking No. 5 out of 100 communities.

The 2017 “Best Cities for Young IT Professionals” list, compiled by Right Click, an online site that focuses on technology news and guides, is topped by San Antonio, Texas, Savannah, Ga., Winston-Salem, N.C., El Paso, Texas and Columbus, Ga.

The bottom line for cities at the top of the rankings, according to Right Click, is that they are livable communities that have a high number of jobs in the technology industry.

“Our analysts gathered data on 542 U.S. cities, then compiled a comprehensive ranking based on four metrics,” Right Click said. The criteria included available information technology jobs, comparative salaries, cost of living — to include food, housing, transportation and health care — and the average median age of residents.

The data was culled from Indeed.com, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BestPlaces.net, and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Columbus, interestingly, ranked ahead of much major cities — Orlando, Fla., Dallas, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, Fort Worth, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Atlanta comes in at No. 25, Birmingham, Ala., is No. 31 and Chattanooga, Tenn., is No. 53.

“From the Chattahoochee River rapids to the Midtown historic district, there’s a lot to see, do and explore in Columbus. (And that’s before you count the city’s growing technology community.), said the synopsis with the city’s No. 5 ranking. “Columbus scored exceptionally well for cost of living and comparative salary. According to the data, the median annual salary for IT professionals is significantly higher than that of the overall workforce. In addition to big dividends, Columbus is a great place to go if you’re looking for varied career options, affordable living and a new adventure each day.”

Major technology companies in Columbus include credit-card and payment processor TSYS, supplemential insurer Aflac and financial software company Delta Data.

Here are the Top 25 communities on the Best Cities for Young IT Professionals:

▪ 1. San Antonio, Texas

▪ 2. Savannah, Ga.

▪ 3. Winston-Salem, N.C.

▪ 4. El Paso, Texas

▪ 5. Columbus, Ga.

▪ 6. Orlando, Fla.

▪ 7. Dallas, Texas

▪ 8. Columbus, Ohio

▪ 9. Fort Worth, Texas

▪ 10. Dayton, Ohio

▪ 11. Fayetteville, N.C.

▪ 12. Irving, Texas

▪ 13. Memphis, Tenn.

▪ 14. McAllen, Texas

▪ 15. Houston, Texas

▪ 16. Knoxville, Tenn.

▪ 17. Arlington, Texas

▪ 18. Greensboro, N.C.

▪ 19. Phoenix, Ariz.

▪ 20. Lubbock, Texas

▪ 21. Raleigh, N.C.

▪ 22. St. Louis, Mo.

▪ 23. Montgomery, Ala.

▪ 24. Corpus Christi, Texas

▪ 25. Atlanta, Ga.

This story was originally published May 24, 2017 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Columbus is No. 5 on ‘Best Cities for Young IT Professionals’ list."