The top three states, according to a new list of fastest-growing states for tech jobs: Minnesota, Utah and Nebraska. New York and California rank, but they are at Nos. 7 and 10 respectively. Washington, home to Microsoft, Amazon and Oracle's cloud technology center, doesn't make the top 15.

Why is Minnesota No. 1? Headquarters for big corporations like UnitedHealth Group, General Mills, 3M, U.S. Bankcorp, and Target, it's also known as "Medical Alley," because it's home to device companies like Medtronic, St. Jude Medical and Boston Scientific. All of those firms hire armies of tech workers. It also has an impressive number of fast-growing technology-specific companies like enterprise cloud software maker Code 42, supply chain management software firm SPS Commerce and JAMF Software, a firm that helps companies install and manage their Apple products. Earlier this month JAMF reportedly reached a deal with IBM to integrate Apple into IBM's cloud technology systems.

All told, those companies have been in tech hiring mode for the last six months, landing Minnesota at the top of the ranking, released by Dice.com, a 24-year-old website based in Santa Clara, CA. Dice is a leading site for technology job postings. This is the fourth year Dice has put out the list. It culls its information from Bureau of Labor Statistics data that covers hiring in the fields of computer systems design and related services over the last six months, ranking states according to employment growth rate percentages.