6. Omaha, Neb.

Tech Employment Growth, 2015-2016: 11.5 percent

Change in Momentum, 2013-2016: 12.2 percent

Lower housing costs – 7 percent less than the national average – help in a metropolitan area that's just shy of 1 million people. The average increase in technology salaries from 2011 to 2016 – 9.6 percent – outpaced that of non-technology jobs (7.1 percent). Technology workers also earn much better, with an average annual salary of $80,155, compared with $48,032 for all others, based on federal data CBRE used in its research.