HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A new study from ZipRecruiter and Payscale revealed that Huntsville, Alabama is the top city in the country for annual job growth in the tech industry. According to their analysis, the Rocket City has enjoyed a tremendous boom in tech jobs with an annual growth rate of 309 percent.

The results were determined through an examination of ZipRecruiter’s active database of more than eight million jobs, and analysts studied the year-to-year growth of tech jobs in each major Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In earning its number one ranking, Huntsville’s tech jobs growth rate surpassed other up-and-coming tech cities, including Thousand Oakes, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Orlando, Florida; Nashville, Tennesee; and Jacksonville, Florida.

The report also noted some of the top tech jobs in Huntsville, such as software engineer, systems engineer, systems specialist, help desk support, and information technology specialist. Median pay begins at $59,500, but it jumps up to $96,400 by mid-career.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle was pleased with — but not surprised by — his city’s latest distinction. “Technology is just part of Huntsville’s DNA and we are well positioned to capitalize on the expanding tech sector,” Battle said. “Still, we know it is the whole package that drives Huntsville’s growth – a strong education system, well planned infrastructure, low cost of living and high quality of life – that’s what people are looking for today.”

Huntsville has received similar recognition before. This year, SmartAsset.com named the Alabama city its seventh-best metro area for STEM jobs. A few years back, Nerdwallet.com ranked Huntsville as the second best city for tech jobs, due to the pure number of jobs and the high wages available.