Tech Workforce Shift: New York Surpasses San Francisco

New York has become the largest center for technology jobs in the United States.

The city’s metro area now employs 394,300 tech workers, according to an August report from CBRE. That total exceeds the 375,730 tech employees in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The shift has been rapid over the past three years. New York added more than 30,000 tech workers between 2022 and 2025. During the same period, San Francisco lost nearly 24,000.

Lauren Crowley Corrinet, vice chairman at CBRE, stated that the Big Apple is currently on top in the competition for tech talent. She attributed the city’s appeal to its rich and engaging lifestyle.

Julie Samuels, president and CEO of Tech:NYC, noted that the growth is not limited to traditional software firms. Her group’s November 2026 report indicates that only 35% of the city’s tech employees work at tech companies or startups. The remaining 64% are employed by banks, media organizations, and other non-tech industries.

Samuels explained that long-established sectors like finance and real estate are increasingly relying on technology. She said artificial intelligence is a major driver of this hiring boom. “All these traditional industries are thinking about how they can bring AI into the fold in their own work,” she said.

Major AI firms are also expanding their physical presence in Manhattan. OpenAI leased a 90,000-square-foot office in lower Manhattan. Anthropic plans to double its New York workforce to 1,000 employees in 2026.