Atlanta named one of the best metro areas for STEM professionals

Interested in a career in the STEM? Science, technology, engineering and math jobs are in high demand, and Atlanta is one of the best cities for professionals in the field, according to a WalletHub report.

» RELATED: Survey finds Georgia's youth leaning toward STEM careers

Researchers from the personal finance site compared the 100 largest metro areas using 17 key metrics, including highest math performance, highest stem employment growth and highest percentage of workforce in STEM. The factors were then categorized into three major sections: professional opportunities, STEM-friendliness and quality of life.

Seattle and Boston placed first and second, respectively, but Atlanta wasn’t too far behind at No. 10, overall. It was the only southern state to make the top 10.

Here’s a snapshot of Atlanta’s results. 

• Job openings for STEM graduates per capita - No. 1
• Quality of engineering opportunities - No. 2
• STEM employment growth - No. 14
• Annual median for STEM graduates per capita - No. 19
• Percentage of workforce in STEM - No. 23
• Annual median wage growth for STEM workers - No. 51

» RELATED: Georgia STEM jobs paying $80k or mor

Atlanta wasn’t the only Georgia city on the list. Augusta fell to the bottom of the pack at No. 85. In fact, many of the southern states ranked low, including Birmingham (No. 90), Little Rock (No. 96), Memphis (No. 98) and Jackson (No. 100).

On the other hand, the East Coast and Midwest dominated the top 10. Pittsburg was No. 3, Madison was No. 6 and Chicago was No. 9.