Virginia is the 2nd best state for tech professionals, according to TorGuard

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia has been ranked the second-best U.S. state for those looking to launch a career in tech, according to a study by TorGuard .

Researchers reportedly analyzed eight different weighted metrics to determine the health of the tech industry in a given state. The metrics were then crunched into a total tech industry rating out of 100. Those metrics and their weights include:

• Mean annual wage for tech jobs, weighted at 15%
• Median hourly wage for tech jobs, weighted at 15%
• Number of jobs per 1,000 jobs, weighted at 15%
• Total tech employees, weighted at 10%
• Number of job postings, weighted at 15%
• Number of business establishments, weighted at 10% (as within the “Information” industry)
• Free tech events per 1,000 people, weighted at 10%
• Cost of living as per tech salary, weighted at 10%

Coming in first place is California, with a 75.83% final score. It tops the chart in four out of eight metrics — but loses some ground in the cost of living category, where it ranks 34th.

Virginia’s final score was 66.19%, landing it in second place above Washington, Maryland and Colorado — each with final scores that only differ from Virginia’s by a few points each. Virginia boasts the highest number of job postings per capita among all 50 states, but nearly hits the bottom of the scale in cost of living, ranking 45th.

It’s possible these numbers can be credited to the fact that Virginia is home to an incredible amount of data centers .

Keep scrolling to check out the top 15 states for tech professionals, according to TorGuard.

At the very bottom of TorGuard’s list is West Virginia, beating out Mississippi, Wyoming and Kentucky by less than 5 points total. West Virginia does, however, rank 1st out of all states studied for cost of living.

All data used in this study was taken from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, World Population Review, Eventbrite and CompTIA, according to TorGuard.

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