ITCareerFinder analyzes the latest data on tech salaries, employment, cost of living and quality of life to uncover the best cities for IT professionals to call home.

Many of the best computer jobs can now be done remotely, but plenty of tech roles still come with a commute. And even if you work from home, where you live shapes what you earn, what you spend and how much you enjoy life after hours. This study compares 74 U.S. metro areas with at least 10,000 computer and math jobs to find the best places to live in or relocate to as an IT professional.

To rank the best cities for tech jobs, we weighed what tech pros actually take home after local prices, how many tech jobs each metro offers and how concentrated they are, and quality of life, because after all, once the 9-to-5 is over you still have to live there.

Jump down to the bottom of the page for the ranking methodology and source list, or read on for this year's top 10 cities for IT professionals.

Debunking the well perpetrated myth of the elusive "startup," we show how you can score that dream job at a buzzing new tech venture.

There is no denying the fact that up and coming tech companies, a.k.a. startups are all the rage. The massive payout that comes with a well timed exit coupled with the unconstrained atmosphere where anything is possible have served well to reinforce the myth of the next gold rush. The web is crawling with stories of the next 20-something college grad launching a hot new product that takes the world by storm.

As captivating as that notion is, the reality is that most viable startups function much like a large established organization, except that all processes are scaled down. There isn't nearly as much Red Bull fueled all-night coding frenzies as the media would have you believe. The truth is that the vast majority of the proverbial tech founders are well above 20 years of age. A well documented fact often skewed by outsiders is that the average age of founders in new technology ventures is 40 years old. Aside from that, companies initiated by older entrepreneurs statistically end up having a higher success rate, measured by the number of so called exits - acquisitions, mergers and IPOs.

If your goal for the new year is to secure a well paying job, give meaning to your work, take on healthy challenge and responsibility, rapidly prototype solutions that have a real time impact, and reap potential rewards once the company matures, you should think about joining a tech startup. Just make sure you stick around long enough to vest.

Here are some tips to land your dream job at a hot technology startup: