Think Silicon Valley is the top tech hub for professionals? On the contrary, job hunters are heading to the “Silicon Slopes” of Salt Lake City.

According to the latest annual rankings by the Wall Street Journal and Moody’s Analytics, America’s hottest job markets are no longer relegated to expensive coastal cities such as the San Francisco Bay Area or Los Angeles. Instead, this list shows a mix of more surprising metros with far more affordable living expenses than what the Journal calls “traditional tech and financial hubs.”

“Many of the workers have taken jobs in Salt Lake City’s tech hub, aptly referred to as ‘Silicon Slopes,’” according to the Journal. Industries on the rise in Salt Lake City include life sciences, manufacturing, and supply chain logistics. Another sweet addition includes food company Mars Inc. announcing a new 399,000-square-foot baking facility there.

The Journal, in collaboration with Moody’s Analytics, evaluated approximately 380 metro areas to determine the strongest labor markets. Rankings were based on five key factors: unemployment rate, labor force participation rate, employment level changes, labor force size, and wages. Larger areas (with over 1 million residents) were assessed separately from smaller ones.

The top 10 metros for jobs

Three Florida metros come next in these rankings: Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa. Overall, the list shows a mix of homes priced above—and way below—the national median home price of $424,900, proving that job hunters don’t have to put up with sky-high home prices or rent to snag a great career opportunity.

As a result, it makes sense that workers are cooling to the allure of expensive metros like the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, which have median home prices of $999,000 and $1,150,000 respectively.

While home prices in Salt Lake City are above the national median at $570,000, they are still a whopping $580,000 below what workers can expect to pay for housing in Los Angeles.

Austin, TX—where list prices hover at a median of $550,000—came in at No. 7 in the rankings, another notable cheaper alternative to traditional tech hubs.

How to gauge a housing market’s affordability

To help job hunters compare salaries to local living expenses, Realtor.com® uses its data to rank areas with an “Affordability Score” measuring how many homes on the market are within financial reach for people at different income levels.

These scores range from 0 to 2. A higher score, like 1 or above, means that home prices are affordable for typical incomes in the area. A lower score below one indicates that real estate there is more financially out of reach.

Here’s how these cities stacked up in affordability so that job seekers can get a good idea of how far their income will go when paying for the roof over their heads.

1. Salt Lake City, UT

Affordability index: 0.49
Median home list price: $570,000
5956 S Loder Dr W for sale for $395,000

2. Jacksonville, FL

Affordability index: 0.62
Median home list price: $415,000
902 Cedar Slough Dr for sale for $363,506

3. Orlando, FL

Affordability index: 0.53
Median home list price: $439,000
5827 Wayt Ct for sale for $450,000

4. Tampa, FL

Affordability index: 0.56
Median home list price: $419,000
17915 Villa Creek Dr# 17915 for sale for $225,000

5. Oklahoma City, OK

Affordability index: 0.77
Median home list price: $321,000
3224 Pagoda Pead Dr for sale for $265,027

6. Miami, FL

Affordability index: 0.49
Median home list price: $549,000
14323 SW 275th Ln for sale for $480,000

7. Austin, TX

Affordability index: 0.51
Median home list price: $550,000
8211 Philbrook Dr for sale for $484,207

8. Nashville, TN

Affordability index: 0.46
Median home list price: $559,000
718 Greymont Dr for sale for $545,000

9. Seattle, WA

Affordability index: 0.55
Median home list price: $768,000
10822 Cornell Ave S for sale for $750,000

10. Dallas, TX

Affordability index: 0.56
Median home list price: $440,000
9918 Hustead St for sale for $225,000

The post The Hottest U.S. Job Markets Are Affordable: See the 10 Best Cities To Score a New Gig and a New Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.