Columbus and Cincinnati Are the 9th and 10th Most Affordable U.S. Cities for Technology Professionals, According to the ``techies.com Affordability Index''.

Business Editors

CINCINATTI & COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 11, 2000

Silicon Valley and NYC rank last in data that factors tech

salaries against Cost of Living Index

Columbus ranks 9 and Cincinnati ranks 10 as the most affordable cities for technology professionals, according to techies.com, Inc., research. And, while technology professionals living in the Bay Area and New York City lead the nation in salaries, technologists in Columbus and Cincinnati have almost twice the discretionary income.

techies.com, a national network of online career resources for more than 600,000 technology professionals, releases its "techies.com Affordability Index", which factors tech salaries against the Cost of Living Index (COLI), in an effort to measure the value of technology salaries in real dollars in 26 technology markets. The 10 most affordable markets, along with their index values, are:

1.       Austin                     105.6
2.       Dallas                     105.5
3.       Houston                    105.3
4.       Twin Cities                100.1
5.       Atlanta                    99.7
6.       Seattle                    98
7.       Denver                     97.3
8.       Raleigh-Durham             97.2
9.       Columbus                   95.5
10.      Cincinnati                 93.2

The five least affordable markets are:

1.       New York City              49.5
2.       Bay Area                   72
3.       San Diego                  77
4.       Boston                     79
5.       Los Angeles                82

(The complete index is at the conclusion of this document.)

techies.com created its Affordability Index by dividing its members' salary data by the 1999 composite federal COLI. The Affordability Index only factors annual salary, and does not account for stock options, perks and benefits, or quality of life aspects hiring managers offer and/or communities provide.

According to Doug Berg, techies.com's founder and chief techie, Silicon Valley and New York City--along with other coastal tech markets--are far and away the best paying cities, with Bay Area professionals earning 16% more than the national average in tech pay. But, the techies.com data reveals that housing expenses and other Cost of Living factors have outstripped earnings in these markets, leaving Columbus and Cincinnati among the most ideal for professionals seeking good pay and affordable living.

"I don't think the fact that these coastal tech markets rank last in our Index will cause a mass tech-exodus from the Bay or Manhattan; their reputation alone as tech hubs with cutting edge opportunities and bleeding edge technology make them extremely attractive," Berg continued. "But people realize it's very expensive to live in these markets, and your discretionary income does not go as far. We developed this Index to put some skin on just how wide the affordability gap is.

"We know that technology professionals are the nation's most in-demand professional workforce, and we know they have an annual salary about 85 percent higher than the national average," Berg said. "A techie can almost pick and choose where he or she wants to work and has plenty of leverage in negotiating salary; we hope this Index can help them with this process. For technology hiring managers, particularly those in Columbus and Cincinnati, we see this Index as a tool to be more competitive as they attempt to acquire and retain techies."

The techies.com Affordability Index

1.       Austin                     105.6
2.       Dallas                     105.5
3.       Houston                    105.3
4.       Twin Cities                100.1
5.       Atlanta                    99.7
6.       Seattle                    98
7.       Denver                     97.3
8.       Raleigh-Durham             97.2
9.       Columbus                   95.5
10.      Cincinnati                 93.2
11.      Phoenix                    93.1
12.      Portland                   92
13.      Detroit                    91.9
14.      Chicago                    91
15.      Kansas City                87.5
16.      Miami                      87
17.      Philadelphia               85.4
18.      Salt Lake City             85.1
19.      Sacramento                 85.1
20.      Pittsburgh                 84.8
21.      Washington, DC             84
22.      Los Angeles                82
23.      Boston                     79
24.      San Diego                  77
25.      Bay Area                   72
26.      New York City              49.5

About techies.com

techies.com is an exchange for technology professionals, and for businesses that want to recruit, market to, and interact with these professionals, and was recently ranked as the No. 1 technology career Web site by PCWEEK. The company allows technology professionals who become its members to maximize their career options, develop productive relationships with potential employers, and obtain relevant content on technology-related issues. techies.com also offers large and small companies the ability to plan for, acquire, and retain technology professionals. The company currently generates most of its revenues from the sale of technology workforce solutions to more than 1,750 client companies. techies.com is also a co-founder of TechiesDay, a nationwide initiative to address our nation's increasing demand for a qualified technology workforce. For more information about TechiesDay, go to www.techiesday.org.