Tech Workers in Austin Boast Highest Salaries in the United States Adjusted for Cost of Living

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Mar 06, 2014, 10:00 ET

SAN LEANDRO, California, March 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

TriNet issues cost of living adjusted salary survey for top U.S. tech hubs
New York's high cost of living saps the purchasing power of tech workers' salaries

Tech Workers in Austin Boast Highest Salaries in the US Adjusted for Cost of Living (PRNewsFoto/TriNet)

TriNet, a leading cloud-based provider of HR services, today announced the findings of the February issue of its TriNet SMBeat. February's report features an in-depth analysis of cost of living adjusted salaries for tech workers throughout the United States. According to the report, Austin area tech workers, on a cost of living adjusted basis, have the highest effective annual average salary at $105,000. The SMBeat report is a monthly analysis of small business employment and human capital economic indicators.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140306/673776-INFO )

Tech companies and startups are fiercely competing for talent, not only with the business across the street, but also with those in other tech hubs. Tech firms in metro areas outside Silicon Valley, where the nominal average annual salary of tech workers is $120,000, may feel they can't compete. However, nominal salaries are only one part of the compensation equation. Factors such as cost of living and local amenities are significant factors in determining effective compensation.

The report finds that to attract top talent, employers outside of expensive coastal cities would benefit from highlighting their cities' affordable cost of living to potential recruits. The cost of living calculation is based on the proportion of costs households spend on housing, grocery items, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods and services. This metric can help an employer inform location and expansion decisions that best suit their needs for talent and affordability. Employees should also factor in location when evaluating the "sticker price" of salary figures. This will help them better understand how far a paycheck will go for them and their families.

TriNet SMBeat ranks the following seven major tech hubs by cost of living adjusted average salaries. Data is sourced from TriNet's more than 8,900 clients and approximately 230,000 worksite employees (as of 12/31/2013) in the U.S.:

Austin: $105,000
Atlanta: $103,000
Denver-Boulder: $98,000
Boston: $79,000
Silicon Valley: $78,000
Los Angeles: $70,000
New York: $56,000

In addition to the findings on cost of living adjusted salaries, the report showed the tech sector experienced another strong month with a 1.89% net job growth. After a long absence, back on top in February was Boston leading the tech sector with 3.06% net job growth. It surpassed New York, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Denver-Boulder.

The report also showed that the Life Science sector was the fastest growing vertical in February with 2.16% net job growth, a significant rebound from -0.62% in January. Los Angeles led this vertical with 2.11% net job growth, followed by the San Francisco Bay area with 1.45% net job growth.

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About TriNet

TriNet is a leading provider of a comprehensive human resources solution for small- to medium-sized businesses, or SMBs. We enhance business productivity by enabling our clients to outsource their human resources, or HR, function to one strategic partner and allowing them to focus on operating and growing their core businesses. Our HR solution includes services such as payroll processing, human capital consulting, employment law compliance and employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans and workers compensation insurance. Our services are delivered by our expert team of HR professionals and enabled by our proprietary, cloud-based technology platform, which allows our clients and their employees to efficiently conduct their HR transactions anytime and anywhere. For more information, please visit http://www.trinet.com.

TriNet, Ambitions Realized and the TriNet logo are registered trademarks of TriNet. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contacts:
Jock Breitwieser
TriNet
[email protected]
+1(510)875-7250

Michelle Sieling
Horn Group
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+1(415)905-4013

SOURCE TriNet