New York City has the largest amount of technology workers in the U.S. according to a new study from the American Electronics Association (AeA)
New York City led the nation with 316,500 technology jobs in 2006, according to the most current data available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The region added 6,400 tech jobs in 2006, the second fastest growing cybercity behind Seattle, which added 7,800 jobs. The average wage was $91,500, 46 percent higher than the average private sector wage in the area.
“The factors that have long made New York City a center of finance, culture and entertainment – a uniquely talented and diverse workforce, top academic institutions and a spirit of creativity not found anywhere else – are today making the City a center of technological innovation,” said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
“The high-tech industry is a valuable and increasingly important part of the New York City economy, and its continued growth will foster New York’s evolution as a ‘cybercity’ and keep us ahead of the curve.”
The highest average wage was in Silicon Valley, where the average tech worker earns $144,000 a year. Other cities paying the highest salaries include San Francisco, Oakland, Austin, and Seattle.
The top cities for tech employment other than New York City included Washington, DC, San Jose, Boston, and Dallas-Fort Worth. The highest tech industry concentration was in San Jose/Silicon Valley, where more than one in four private sector workers were employed by the tech industry.
“This is the first national Cybercities report AeA has published since 2000, before the high-tech bubble burst,” said Christopher Hansen, president and chief executive of the AeA. “With the industry experiencing three consecutive years of job growth we decided it was time again to drill down to see which cybercities are growing the fastest and across which sectors.”
“High-tech jobs make critical contributions to local economies in terms of innovation. They also pay extremely well – the average tech industry wage is 87 percent higher than the average private sector wage.”
