Your IT budget may need some revisions if you’re planning on hiring tech pros in the coming months. But a lot could depend on where you’re located when it comes time to make techs an offer or negotiate a salary to hang onto te talent you already have.

The market for IT jobs is stronger than other areas, but IT pros in certain cities and with certain skills will be better off than others.

While there are still plenty of tech professionals looking for work, the IT unemployment rate has been well below the average for all U.S. industries, according to a recent report from IT job board Dice.com.

The rate is now hovering around 3.5%, according to calculations based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the past five quarters, the IT unemployment rate has stayed below 4.5%, while the national unemployment rate has been above 8% over the same period.

What are the most competitive regions for tech employment right now? The answers might be surprising, as some new markets have experienced a lot of recent growth. These are the top cities for IT pros, based on the number of the available jobs compared to the number of job seekers, according to job search engine Simply Hired:

1. Baltimore, MD
2. Detroit, MI
3. Charlotte, NC
4. Portland, OR
5. Seattle, WA
6. Pittsburgh, PA
7. Milwaukee, WI
8. Richmond, VA
9. Raleigh, NC
10. New York, NY

These are the worst cities, where there is a lot of competition for few IT jobs:

1. Newark, NJ
2. Birmingham, AL
3. Riverside, CA
4. Little Rock, AR
5. Honolulu, HI
6. Boulder, CO
7. Huntsville, AL
8. Sacramento, CA
9. Indianapolis, IN
10. Orlando, FL

Overall, health care is the top hiring industry right now, but technology is a close second, according to Simply Hired.

Tags: best, cities, hiring, IT, worst