New York overtakes San Francisco as North America’s largest tech hub

New York has overtaken the San Francisco Bay Area as the largest tech-talent workforce in North America, according to the ‘Scoring Tech Talent 2026’ report by CBRE. This marks the first time in 13 years that New York has led in tech headcount.

Between 2022 and 2025, New York’s tech workforce grew by 30,640 to reach 394,300 workers. In contrast, the San Francisco Bay Area’s workforce contracted by 23,900 to 375,730. While San Francisco maintains a higher concentration of AI job postings, New York’s tech economy is more diversified, with significant integration into the financial services sector.

The surge is driven largely by artificial intelligence. Across the United States and Canada, the number of tech workers with AI skills rose 45% year-over-year to 751,000. Major financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America, are heavily investing in AI to enhance efficiency and automation. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon noted that the bank expects to hire more AI specialists to handle tasks such as fraud models and risk systems.