RCLCO Real Estate Consulting recently unveiled the results of its 2021 STEM Job Growth Index (STEMdex), which projects which metro areas will have the strongest outlook for growth in STEM jobs. Published annually in partnership with office investment management firm CapRidge Partners, the STEMdex tracks and projects STEM job growth trends across the country by analyzing the economies of the largest metropolitan areas to understand which regions are attracting the jobs and employees of the future.

In this year’s STEMdex, RCLCO expanded its search to include the 50 largest U.S. metros. The 10 cities topping the list this year are Denver, Seattle, Austin, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., San Jose, Raleigh, Boston, Portland and Salt Lake City.

This year’s list highlights:

• After being ranked third in 2020, Denver has moved into the top spot due to strong economic tailwinds, workforce quality and quality of life.
• Austin, after recently celebrating the news of a Tesla headquarters relocation, once again ranks within the top three of the STEMdex.
• The only states with multiple cities in the top 20 are Texas, California (three cities each) and North Carolina (two cities).

“While it remains far too early to fully assess how the COVID-19 pandemic and any current or future variants will continue to impact our daily lives, another year of data has given us increased confidence in the growth prospects for STEM jobs, particularly in the regions highlighted by the 2021 STEMdex,” said Gregg Logan, managing director of RCLCO.