Overview

• San Francisco and San José metros earned “superstar” status thanks to unmatched concentrations of tech headquarters, research labs and venture capital
• Los Angeles was classified as a “star hub” on the strength of its AI job postings, university graduates and startup activity
• Brookings evaluated 387 metro areas and sorted them into six tiers—superstars, star hubs, emerging centers, focused movers, nascent adopters and others—using metrics on funding, jobs, degrees and patents
• Established tech hubs host nearly two-thirds of AI-skilled workers and over 75% of AI startups, highlighting deep concentration of talent and innovation
• Emerging centers such as Madison, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Nashville show promise but lag in talent development, research infrastructure or enterprise adoption