Why do tech companies avoid the Midwest?

Why do tech companies avoid the Midwest?(us.teamblind.com)

2 points by polock 8 years ago | 7 comments

From the worker's prospective low cost of living doesn't work out if you have other debts. Your student loans are in raw dollars and saving 20% on 80k is paying them off at a slower rate than saving 10% on 200k. Not to mention if you're targeting raises at % year over year the lower your base salary the worse your future comp is tied to.

This means companies can't get the critical mass of talent required to make the investment worth it; so they don't bother.

guywaffle 8 years ago | |

Or if a person likes to travel. Just because the area a person works/lives is relatively cheap doesn’t mean the hotel in Paris or the flight to Hawaii is any cheaper.

lordCarbonFiber 8 years ago | | |

That's an insidious trap; the low cost of living means you're less likely to see the world and more likely to blindly accept your surroundings as good. I think I understand more how so many people look at the coastal cities and wonder why people want to live here.

chmaynard 8 years ago |

Because the people who manage tech companies are sheep who do what everyone else is doing. Their goals are to make money for their corporation and enrich themselves, not to do what's right or sensible for their employees.

mikerg87 8 years ago |

Never underestimate the role that climate plays. Looking at a weather map for the United States today and it’s a hard sell to convince someone to move the Midwest or stay in the Midwest.

bob_theslob646 8 years ago |

They don't it's just really hard to attract talent towards the West because in general, people don't want to live there.

I would have no problem.I love that BBQ and lower cost of living.

karmellad1 8 years ago |

Much more opportunities in the West coast!