If you’re looking for a new or better job in the IT industry here’s some great news. There is hope for those who want to work somewhere other than Silicon Valley. According to the latest research done by Modis, the top twelve cities to find an IT job in 2012 are in areas where product and service development, networking and database administration and back office operations are growing.

So here is the list of the top twelve cites to find an IT job: Houston, Toronto, Orlando, San Francisco, Minneapolis, McLean (Virginia), Walnut Creek (California), Detroit, Jacksonville, New York, Denver and Boston.

Starting with Houston, Texas, here are some quick highlights. Houston is now the fourth largest city in the United States, with plenty of resources, namely oil, the unemployment rate for this Texas town is below the national average at only 7.6%. Toronto has the fourth largest IT market in North America along with strong financial and telecommunications industries. Toronto is rated as one of the best international cities for raising a family and working. The unemployment rate is 8.5%.

Florida offers two cites in the top twelve. Orlando at number three and Jacksonville at number nine. Unemployment for Orlando is 9.7% and only 9.5% for Jacksonville. Both cities offer great weather and low costs of living along with strong university and tourism industries. California has two of the top cities, San Francisco at number four and Walnut Creek at number seven. Both cities boast an unemployment rate of only 7.6%.

Minneapolis has rebounded very quickly from the recession and is the number five city on our list. Unemployment there is only 5.1%. McLean, Virginia is number six and has an unemployment rate of 5.5%. Many of the business relocating and growing in this area near Washington, DC. are defense contractors. Detroit is making a big comeback with the auto industry and the city is receiving tons of funding for IT projects. The unemployment rate there is only 10.7%.

New York is the number ten city with a 9% unemployment rate. Mayor Bloomberg’s $100 million incentive funding has made NYC a top destination for startups. Many are referring to it as, ‘The Silicon Valley of the East.” Denver is number eleven, attracting both startups and established companies to it’s beautiful surroundings. The 7.9% unemployment rate helps too. Finally, Boston is the number twelve city with an impressive 5.7% unemployment rate. The growth for IT professionals in Boston has been steady. Cambridge has the greatest number of bio/pharma facilities in the United States.