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The Post-Pandemic Geography of the U.S. Tech Economy

Data on venture capital and tech jobs show that just a few coastal metro areas continue to dominate. But other regions have also benefited from an overall surge in investment.

Google announced plans in September 2021 to buy the St. Johns Terminal building for its office expansion in Manhattan. The New York metro area continues to draw a large share of venture capital investment, despite pandemic narratives that techies are shifting away from coastal superstar cities. 

Google announced plans in September 2021 to buy the St. Johns Terminal building for its office expansion in Manhattan. The New York metro area continues to draw a large share of venture capital investment, despite pandemic narratives that techies are shifting away from coastal superstar cities. 

Photographer: Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

This article is the second in an occasional series about the New Geography of Technology. You can read the first installment on Milan here.

Even as the U.S. seems to be getting back to some semblance of normal, the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic continues to reshape the ways Americans live and work. The rise of remote work gives people of means and education the freedom and flexibility to consider a broader range of places. Some believe the pandemic is also upending the geography of innovation, with techies, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists shifting away from superstar hubs like San Francisco and New York to up-and-coming ones like Austin and Miami.