U.S. Tech Industry Employment Surpasses 6.7 Million Workers

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The U.S. technology industry added nearly 200,000 net jobs in 2015 and now employs more than 6.7 million people, according to Cyberstates 2016: The Definitive State-by-State Analysis of the U.S. Tech Industrypublished by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

The new report released today shows 46 states had an overall net increase in tech industry jobs in 2015; and that the average tech industry wage was more than double that of the average private sector wage. A U.S. tech industry worker averages an annual wage of $105,400 compared to $51,600 for the average private sector wage.

"The U.S. tech industry is a major driving force in the overall economy, accounting for 7.1 percent of overall GDP and 11.6 percent of total private sector payroll," said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA. "The tremendous level of ongoing innovation in the industry, making technology more affordable and accessible to more users, has us encouraged about growth prospects for 2016 and beyond."

Growth was once again led by the IT services sector which added more than 105,000 jobs between 2014 and 2015.

"Much of this growth can be attributed to the current trends in cloud computing, mobility, automation and social technologies that are reshaping businesses large and small," said Tim Herbert, senior vice president, research and market intelligence, CompTIA. "Momentum behind the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow, while the critical importance of cybersecurity shows no signs of abating."

At the state level, the largest jobs gains were recorded in California (+59,500), New York (+15,500), Texas (+13,800), Massachusetts (+11,700), and Florida (+11,400). The states with the highest concentration of tech workers were Massachusetts (9.8% of private sector employment), Virginia (9.5%), Colorado (9.0%), Maryland (8.6%), and California (8.2%). The largest states by tech industry employment continued to be California, Texas, and New York.

Cyberstates represents a comprehensive look at tech employment, wages, and other key economic factors nationally and state-by-state, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Now in its 17^th edition, Cyberstates 2016 relies primarily on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report provides 2015 national and state-by-state data on tech employment, wages, establishments, payroll, wage differential, employment concentration, economic output, and job openings. All data are the most recent available at the time of production. The BLS data is preliminary and subject to revision.

Key National Findings from Cyberstates 2015

• 6.7 million U.S. tech industry workers in 2015
• 198,200 net jobs added between 2014 and 2015
• Tech firms employed 5.7 percent of private sector workers in 2014
• Tech industry workers earned an average wage of $105,400, 104 percent more than the U.S. average private sector wage
• A tech industry payroll of $708 billion in 2014, accounting for over 11.6 percent of all U.S. private sector payroll
• 473,460 tech establishments in 2015
• 938,500 tech occupational job openings in Q4 2015
• 7.1 percent of the U.S. GDP is from the tech industry