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Top cities to hire software engineers in 2026
Discover the best cities for software engineering talent globally, ranked by Karat using data from 600,000+ technical interviews, compensation benchmarks, and talent market size.
The best cities to hire software engineers in 2026 include Seattle, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Toronto, based on engineering skill concentration, cost, and talent supply. These rankings reflect where companies can find the highest concentration of top-quartile engineering talent in the AI era.
The top cities to hire software engineers
Karat’s annual ranking of the top cities to hire software engineers examines how AI is transforming not only how software is built but also where companies access and scale software engineers globally. AI disproportionately amplifies the productivity and impact of top-performing engineers. As a result, performance gaps between top-quartile engineers and the broader workforce are widening. This makes access to elite talent a strategic advantage in today’s AI-driven engineering landscape.
This year’s rankings identify where that talent is most concentrated globally – helping engineering leaders understand where top software engineering talent is located and how global talent markets are evolving.
Karat’s top city rankings use a market-weighted methodology that adjusts interview performance data based on each city’s employer mix. This ensures rankings reflect the true composition of local engineering markets as talent migrates and new tech hubs emerge – offering the most accurate view of global engineering talent distribution and workforce dynamics.
Use the filters located on the right of the graph to display geographies that are most relevant for you. As you select or deselect filters, the graph will automatically update. Hover over the city bubbles for more information, including talent quality, compensation benchmarks, and engineering workforce size.
Year
Report Highlights:
Seattle
Seattle ranks #1 globally, with 38.2% of engineers estimated in the top quartile of global candidates. Seattle’s leadership in engineering quality reflects the region’s deep concentrations of cloud infrastructure expertise, AI platform development, and advanced product engineering, ushering in the human + AI era.
Toronto
Leaping into the top-5, Toronto has the largest tech workforce in Canada and one of the fastest-growing in North America. Toronto combines a robust big-tech ecosystem, including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Shopify engineering offices, with the country’s financial services hub, in addition to the headquarters of the Big Five Canadian banks.
London
London, still Europe’s largest engineering talent market, was one of the biggest risers on this year’s list. While hiring slowed during the global tech downturn, London climbed significantly over the last year as financial services, industrial firms, and enterprises began AI-enabled modernization efforts, strengthening demand for high-skill engineers.
What city is right for your software hiring needs?
Check out the full report for detailed city rankings based on the concentrations of top engineers and total volume of tech talent. Learn more about each city’s areas of specialization and competitors to shape your talent strategy and hire with confidence.
Report
Full top city rankings
