Published January 11, 2021
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California’s Silicon Valley has long served as the nation’s technology hub. But while Silicon Valley remains a global leader for tech firms and jobs, technology’s transformative impact on the economy and society is driving job growth across the United States. Led by employers-and even entire industries-that did not exist a generation ago, many of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S. are in the fields of science, technology, and mathematics. The long-running trend of growth in these fields shows few signs of slowing down.
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth in computer and math occupations has outpaced the national average since 2008. The gap has only grown larger over the last decade, and the trend is likely to continue. According to the BLS, employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow by 11 percent over the next decade, adding more than 500,000 jobs to the economy. And unlike many jobs that have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, computer and IT occupations are largely remote-friendly, which positions them well for continued growth.
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Some states have seen the benefit of this job growth more than others. Driven by a high number of firms specializing in defense, information technology, and other professional services for the federal government, Virginia leads the nation with 5.6 percent of its workers employed in computer and math occupations. Washington-home to a strong aerospace engineering sector and tech giants Microsoft and Amazon-is second, with Maryland, Colorado, and Massachusetts following behind.
However, statewide trends do not tell the whole story of tech employment either, as employers in high-tech fields tend to cluster in local regions where the labor market can supply the specialized knowledge required for those positions. This often means that metro areas with many well-established innovative companies, strong institutions of higher education, or both-like Silicon Valley-tend to be the areas that incubate many of the firms that drive job growth in tech.
To see which metro areas have the most tech jobs, researchers at Spanning used data from the BLS’s 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey to identify metros with the largest share of employment in computer and math occupations. The researchers also calculated the total number of jobs, wages, and wage premiums for computer and math occupations in each metro. To improve relevance, metros were also grouped into population cohorts of small (100,000–349,999 residents), midsize (350,000–999,999 residents), and large (1,000,000 or more residents).
Here are the metropolitan areas with the most technology jobs per capita.
The Large Metros With the Most Technology Jobs Per Capita
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15. Columbus, OH
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 4.2%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 44,590
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $86,490
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $40,380
- Computer & math wage premium: +114.2%
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14. Kansas City, MO-KS
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 4.3%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 46,240
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $78,760
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $40,640
- Computer & math wage premium: +93.8%
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13. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 4.3%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 158,490
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $91,760
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $40,430
- Computer & math wage premium: +127.0%
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12. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 4.3%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 85,590
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $90,290
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $47,010
- Computer & math wage premium: +92.1%
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11. Salt Lake City, UT
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 4.6%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 33,550
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $78,490
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $40,120
- Computer & math wage premium: +95.6%
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10. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 4.7%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 128,030
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $89,150
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $40,000
- Computer & math wage premium: +122.9%
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9. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 4.9%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 136,850
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $98,440
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $53,300
- Computer & math wage premium: +84.7%
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8. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 5.0%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 68,450
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $99,500
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $45,810
- Computer & math wage premium: +117.2%
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7. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 5.4%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 81,090
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $96,520
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $47,440
- Computer & math wage premium: +103.5%
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6. Austin-Round Rock, TX
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 6.2%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 66,800
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $85,640
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $41,560
- Computer & math wage premium: +106.1%
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5. Raleigh, NC
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 6.2%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 40,580
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $91,290
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $41,640
- Computer & math wage premium: +119.2%
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4. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 6.6%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 163,630
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $120,550
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $57,040
- Computer & math wage premium: +111.3%
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3. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 7.3%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 147,800
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $123,340
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $53,360
- Computer & math wage premium: +131.1%
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2. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 7.6%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 242,090
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $106,220
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $56,320
- Computer & math wage premium: +88.6%
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1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- Share of employment in computer & math occupations: 12.7%
- Total employment in computer & math occupations: 144,530
- Median annual wage for computer & math occupations: $130,100
- Median annual wage for all occupations: $61,980
- Computer & math wage premium: +109.9%
Methodology & detailed findings
Researchers used the most recent employment data for wage and salary workers from the BLS’s 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey. Metros were ranked according to the largest share of employment in computer and math occupations. Researchers also calculated the total employment in computer and math occupations, the median annual wage for computer and math occupations, and the computer and math wage premium for each metro. For relevance, only metros with at least 100,000 residents were included in the report. Metros were also grouped into the following cohorts based on population:
- Small metros: 100,000–349,999 residents
- Midsize metros: 350,000–999,999 residents
- Large metros: 1,000,000 residents or more