ATLANTA—Atlanta moved up four spots to claim a spot as a top five market on CBRE's Tech Talent Scorecard. The top 10-ranked cities on the Tech Talent Scorecard were all large markets, each with a tech labor pool of more than 50,000. The San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, New York, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Toronto, Raleigh-Durham, Austin, Boston and Dallas-Fort Worth made up the top 10.

The report finds strong demand for talent that offer specific skills, such as software development, coupled with a tight labor supply, is driving companies to locate in markets with the largest concentrations of high quality talent. And while value is a key driver when it comes to choosing an office location, companies are showing that they are willing to pay a premium to access the highest quality tech talent.

“One of the things that stands out among the top tech growth markets is affordability,” Christian Devlin, a vice president of CBRE, tells GlobeSt.com. “In addition to strong education infrastructure, and a high quality of life, Atlanta provides not only affordable living but also a relatively low cost of doing business. It continues to be on one of the most affordable and compelling cities for technology companies to grow and thrive in.”