JACKSONVILLE, FL – Houston is the top city to find a job in IT – particularly health IT – as it is home to many large companies in the healthcare sector, according to new data released by IT staffing company Modis.

As the economy continues to improve, companies have started to reinvest in new projects and technologies in an effort to remain competitive. Consequently, these organizations are beginning to staff up, meaning the war for qualified talent in the IT sector is on the rise.  Modis has identified a list of the top seven cities across the country to find IT jobs today.

Modis based the list of top cities on internal data, taking into account factors such as the number of job openings over the past quarter, growing industries in the area and the intensity of the war for talent in these regions.

Houston claimed the top spot to find an IT job in large part due to its position as a key hub for numerous global organizations – many of which are now rebounding from the recession and benefitting from increased IT budgets. While Houston is known as the "Energy Capital of the World," the city is home to many large companies in the financial services, technology and healthcare sectors who have chosen Houston as an operations center due to its lower than average cost of living and access to a strong IT labor force.  Demand is high for a variety of IT jobs – from systems administrators to business analysts to mobile application developers.

A number of east coast cities also took top spots on the list – including Washington, D.C., which came in second, and boasts a 6 percent unemployment rate, well below the national average. Not surprisingly, most of the employment demand in the nation's capital is being driven by the U.S. government, as it provides a variety of economic incentives for companies to start up or to relocate in the market. In addition to the government, other sectors seeking IT talent in Washington, D.C. include biotech, associations, telecom, financial services, technology, IT startups/dot-coms, construction and hospitality.

The full list of top cities to find a job in IT are:          
1.    Houston
2.    Washington, DC
3.    Columbus, OH
4.    Detroit
5.    Philadelphia
6.    Edison, NJ
7.    Boston

"As companies gain confidence in the economy, they are looking to invest in new projects that require skilled IT talent," said Jack Cullen, president of Modis. "The cities we've identified on this list have a number of different characteristics that make them among the best places to find an IT job today, and IT professionals who are looking to get ahead in their careers have tremendous potential in these markets."