About this tool
The Tech Worker Index shows how affordable homes are for tech workers in the 100 largest U.S. metros, with a national comparison. It measures the share of home sales priced at or below three times a typical tech-worker household income, so it shows where a tech salary goes furthest in the housing market. It is produced annually by the AEI Housing Center.
- Shows
- For each of the top 100 metros plus a national figure, the share of home sales priced at or below three times household income. Household income is assumed to be 1.5 times the average annual wage for computer and mathematical occupations. Results are shown for entry-level homes (the lower price tiers) and for the overall market, and metros are ranked and grouped by this share.
- Places
- Nation, Metro areas
Questions it answers
- Which large metros are most and least affordable for the average tech worker?
- What share of homes sold in my metro are priced within three times a tech worker's household income?
- How does affordability for tech workers in my metro compare with the national figure?
- Is it easier for a tech worker to afford an entry-level home than a home in the overall market in my metro?
- How does my metro rank among the top 100 for tech worker affordability?
Limits
- Covers only the 100 largest metros plus a national figure.
- Household income is assumed to be 1.5 times the average tech wage, not measured directly.
- Tech wages cover computer and mathematical occupations as a group, using Bureau of Labor Statistics average wages.
- Affordability is defined as a home price at or below three times household income.
- The entry-level version counts only the lower price tiers; the overall version counts the whole market.
- Colorado metro wages and employment for 2024 are estimated because no official data were published for that year.