Jacksonville Named #2 in DataFox’s 2016 Best Cities for Tech (Outside California and New York)
From the Eastern Seaboard to the Pacific Northwest, tech hubs abound. Helped by strong public-private partnerships, centralized hubs that foster connections and innovation, and capital provided by established businesses, each of these cities is an excellent choice for tech workers. They aren't trying to be Silicon Valley; instead, they've found what makes them unique, and built upon it.
2. Jacksonville, FL
Finance Score: 99
Growth Score: 42
Overall Score: 99
Jacksonville goes well out of its way to support its budding entrepreneurs. The city helps startups find investors, and One Spark, an annual innovation festival that offers funding and capital advice, has helped strengthen the tech community as well as the startups themselves. And lest you think that Florida is only for retirees, Jacksonville's median age is 35, three years younger than the Bay Area's.
In our survey, Jacksonville excels in both aspects of our Finance Score: its resident companies rank in the 88th percentile of financial stability, and with an incredibly low cost of living, it's much more affordable than San Francisco, New York or even Boston. If you want to trade a cutthroat tech world for a city that actively supports its startups, Jacksonville is the place to be.
Anisha Sekar, DataFox
May 16, 2016