April 10, 2026

Sioux Falls took a big jump in an annual ranking of the best Midwest metros for tech workers.

The study by CommercialCafe ranked Midwest metros to identify where the tech sector and its workforce have the strongest foundations to succeed.

All metro areas in the region with populations of more than 200,000 were awarded points based on nine metrics, including density of tech establishments, percentage of jobs in tech, median earnings for tech workers and a composite quality-of-life index.

Sioux Falls jumped from 18th last year to fourth overall this year.

“Just as it did last time, the metro was the fastest growing for tech company expansion. Only this time, job growth was also among the highest, with tech employment up 76.8 percent from 2019 to 2024, driven in part by the metro’s deepening fintech cluster and continued expansion among major financial services employers,” the report said.

“The metro also topped our quality-of-life index, posting the lowest unemployment rate of any metro as of September 2025. Living costs are also nearly 10 percent below the national average.”

Madison, Wisconsin, topped the list, followed by Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Chicago.

To see the full report, click here.