Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Southwest
Key facts
- #1 Addison, TX: 33%
- #2 Austin, TX: 18%
- #3 Spring, TX: 16%
- 44 cities ranked in the Southwest
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 9% across all cities in our data.
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Addison (33%) is well clear of Frisco at #10 (11%).
- Westlake reaches #4 on a sample of 111 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Austin is the largest market in the top ten, with 6,257 openings behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Some labor markets ask for AI skills in a large share of postings, others in very few. The share tells you how far AI has moved from a specialist skill into ordinary job requirements in that place.
How to use it
Compare your own city to the top of the list. A gap is a reason to build one AI skill and show it on your résumé before you apply, not a reason to move.
The top 25
- 1
Addison TX
33%
- AI-skill openings
- 71
- All openings
- 215
- Median posted pay
- $150k
Hiring most here: National Life Group, National Life Insurance Company, Bank of America
Based on 215 openings.
- 2
Austin TX
18%
- AI-skill openings
- 1,135
- All openings
- 6,257
- Median posted pay
- $165k
Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare
Based on 6,257 openings.
- 3
Spring TX
16%
- AI-skill openings
- 55
- All openings
- 338
- Median posted pay
- $204k
Hiring most here: Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP, Juniper Networks
Based on 338 openings.
- 4
Westlake TX
16%
- AI-skill openings
- 18
- All openings
- 111
- Median posted pay
- $139k
Hiring most here: Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investments, Kiewit
Based on 111 openings.
- 5
Irving TX
15%
- AI-skill openings
- 142
- All openings
- 948
- Median posted pay
- $134k
Hiring most here: Mckesson, CHRISTUS Health, 7-Eleven
Based on 948 openings.
- 6
Coppell TX
13%
- AI-skill openings
- 21
- All openings
- 158
- Median posted pay
- $141k
Hiring most here: Blue Yonder, At Home, Charter Communications
Based on 158 openings.
- 7
Arlington TX
12%
- AI-skill openings
- 25
- All openings
- 206
- Median posted pay
- $115k
Hiring most here: GM Financial, Lockheed Martin, Texas Health Resources
Based on 206 openings.
- 8
Dallas TX
11%
- AI-skill openings
- 546
- All openings
- 4,778
- Median posted pay
- $143k
Hiring most here: Amazon, Shield AI, Texas Instruments
Based on 4,778 openings.
- 10
Frisco TX
11%
- AI-skill openings
- 23
- All openings
- 207
- Median posted pay
- $125k
Hiring most here: Baker Tilly, The Haskell Company, Intuit
Based on 207 openings.
- 11
Plano TX
10%
- AI-skill openings
- 116
- All openings
- 1,109
- Median posted pay
- $137k
Hiring most here: NTT Data, Pepsico, JPMorgan Chase
Based on 1,109 openings.
- 12
Richardson TX
7%
- AI-skill openings
- 32
- All openings
- 433
- Median posted pay
- $146k
Hiring most here: Celestica, Qorvo, OSI Systems
Based on 433 openings.
- 13
Scottsdale AZ
7%
- AI-skill openings
- 53
- All openings
- 772
- Median posted pay
- $125k
Hiring most here: General Dynamics Mission Systems, Axon Enterprise, AMI Semiconductor
Based on 772 openings.
- 14
Oklahoma City OK
6%
- AI-skill openings
- 35
- All openings
- 581
- Median posted pay
- $108k
Hiring most here: Love's Travel Stops, CACI International, Northrop Grumman
Based on 581 openings.
- 15
Tulsa OK
6%
- AI-skill openings
- 30
- All openings
- 498
- Median posted pay
- $94k
Hiring most here: BOK Financial, Aaon, Helmerich & Payne
Based on 498 openings.
- 16
Fort Worth TX
6%
- AI-skill openings
- 80
- All openings
- 1,339
- Median posted pay
- $115k
Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Lockheed Martin Services, MP Materials
Based on 1,339 openings.
- 17
Houston TX
6%
- AI-skill openings
- 264
- All openings
- 4,621
- Median posted pay
- $125k
Hiring most here: Axiom Space, Fervo Energy, Trinzic
Based on 4,621 openings.
- 18
Phoenix AZ
6%
- AI-skill openings
- 166
- All openings
- 2,922
- Median posted pay
- $120k
Hiring most here: Honeywell Aerospace, State of Arizona, American Society for Microbiology
Based on 2,922 openings.
- 19
Katy TX
5%
- AI-skill openings
- 6
- All openings
- 114
- Median posted pay
- $110k
Hiring most here: Academy Of Excellence, Memorial Hermann Health System, PCL Construction
Based on 114 openings.
- 20
Las Vegas NV
5%
- AI-skill openings
- 46
- All openings
- 980
- Median posted pay
- $115k
Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4
Based on 980 openings.
- 21
Carrollton TX
4%
- AI-skill openings
- 6
- All openings
- 137
- Median posted pay
- $123k
Hiring most here: MB2 Dental, Trane U.s., PennyMac Financial Services
Based on 137 openings.
- 22
The Woodlands TX
4%
- AI-skill openings
- 7
- All openings
- 176
- Median posted pay
- $133k
Hiring most here: Entergy, Crane, Waste Connections
Based on 176 openings.
- 23
Reno NV
4%
- AI-skill openings
- 12
- All openings
- 311
- Median posted pay
- $132k
Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment
Based on 311 openings.
- 24
Chandler AZ
4%
- AI-skill openings
- 17
- All openings
- 473
- Median posted pay
- $114k
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Bechtel Energy, Ralliant
Based on 473 openings.
- 25
San Antonio TX
3%
- AI-skill openings
- 40
- All openings
- 1,352
- Median posted pay
- $116k
Hiring most here: H-E-B, University Health San Antonio, UT Health San Antonio
Based on 1,352 openings.
Full ranking
All 44 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addison TX | 33% | 215 |
| 2 | Austin TX | 18% | 6,257 |
| 3 | Spring TX | 16% | 338 |
| 4 | Westlake TX | 16% | 111 |
| 5 | Irving TX | 15% | 948 |
| 6 | Coppell TX | 13% | 158 |
| 7 | Arlington TX | 12% | 206 |
| 8 | Dallas TX | 11% | 4,778 |
| 9 | Tempe AZ | 11% | 688 |
| 10 | Frisco TX | 11% | 207 |
| 11 | Plano TX | 10% | 1,109 |
| 12 | Richardson TX | 7% | 433 |
| 13 | Scottsdale AZ | 7% | 772 |
| 14 | Oklahoma City OK | 6% | 581 |
| 15 | Tulsa OK | 6% | 498 |
| 16 | Fort Worth TX | 6% | 1,339 |
| 17 | Houston TX | 6% | 4,621 |
| 18 | Phoenix AZ | 6% | 2,922 |
| 19 | Katy TX | 5% | 114 |
| 20 | Las Vegas NV | 5% | 980 |
| 21 | Carrollton TX | 4% | 137 |
| 22 | The Woodlands TX | 4% | 176 |
| 23 | Reno NV | 4% | 311 |
| 24 | Chandler AZ | 4% | 473 |
| 25 | San Antonio TX | 3% | 1,352 |
| 26 | Lewisville TX | 3% | 138 |
| 27 | Corpus Christi TX | 2% | 128 |
| 28 | Mesa AZ | 2% | 201 |
| 29 | Albuquerque NM | 2% | 364 |
| 30 | Brownsville TX | 2% | 110 |
| 31 | Tucson AZ | 2% | 732 |
| 32 | Sugar Land TX | 2% | 113 |
| 33 | Lubbock TX | 2% | 131 |
| 34 | Amarillo TX | 2% | 133 |
| 35 | Tyler TX | 2% | 133 |
| 36 | Abilene TX | 1% | 139 |
| 37 | Midland TX | 1% | 160 |
| 38 | Waco TX | 1% | 160 |
| 39 | Denton TX | 1% | 181 |
| 40 | Sparks NV | 1% | 122 |
| 41 | Gilbert AZ | 1% | 125 |
| 42 | El Paso TX | 1% | 319 |
| 43 | Grand Prairie TX | 0% | 204 |
| 44 | Greenville TX | 0% | 100 |
How this ranking works
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool, found by our AI-skill tagger on the posting text.
The tagger looks for named skills (for example prompt engineering, machine learning, or a named AI tool), not the words "AI-powered" in a company blurb.
A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which city ranks first: best cities for ai-skill jobs in the southwest?
- Addison leads the Southwest for AI skills: 33% of its professional openings ask for them, against 9% across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 44 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 44 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool, found by our AI-skill tagger on the posting text. The tagger looks for named skills (for example prompt engineering, machine learning, or a named AI tool), not the words "AI-powered" in a company blurb. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Southwest
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the Southwest
- Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the Southwest
- Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the Southwest
- Cities with the most hybrid jobs in the Southwest
- Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the Southwest
- Best cities for AI-skill jobs
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Southwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-ai-jobs-in-the-southwest
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-ai-jobs-in-the-southwest">Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Southwest (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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