Boise’s Tech Employment Totals 20,800
Boise High-Tech Employees Earn 91 percent Higher Wages Compared to Private Sector

Lynnwood, WA (June 24, 2008) – AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association representing all segments of the high-tech industry, today released Cybercities 2008: An Overview of the High-Technology Industry in the Nation's Top 60 Cities. This detailed report tracks trends in high-tech employment, wages, establishments, payroll, employment concentration, and wage differential at the metropolitan level.

The high-tech industry in Boise employed over 20,800 people in 2006, according to the most current metropolitan data. These jobs are high paying; the average tech industry worker in Boise earned $70,100 or 91 percent more than the metropolitan area’s average private sector wage. This wage differential was the ninth largest in the nation.

Boise’s high-tech manufacturing sector employed a total of 14,800 employees in 2006. This was a growth over the previous year of 600 workers.

“The high-tech industry in Boise employs nine percent of our private sector workforce,” said Terry Byington, Executive Director of the NW Chapter of AeA. “Leading high-tech companies such as Micron and Hewlett-Packard along with the many smaller firms are an important part of our local economy and we need to do everything possible to grow these types of jobs, especially since they pay nearly double the area’s average private sector wage. This growth is possible in part because of Boise’s focus on K-12 education.”

Cybercities 2008 shows that the top five cybercities by high-tech employment in 2006 were the New York Metro Area, Washington, DC, San Jose/Silicon Valley, Boston, and Dallas-Fort Worth. The nation’s 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. Seattle saw the largest tech industry employment growth, adding 7,800 jobs in 2006.

Later this summer, AeA will release Trade in the Cyberstates 2008: A State-by-State Overview of High-Tech International Trade. That report will look at the most recent data on high-tech exports from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

AeA members can purchase Cybercities 2008 for $125; non-members for $250.  Visit www.aeanet.org/cybercities to download the report, or call 408.987.4200. 

What Does High Tech Mean for Boise?

• 20,800 high-tech workers in 2006 (51st ranked cybercity)
   

• 200 jobs lost between 2005 and 2006 (54th ranked cybercity)
   

• High-tech firms employed 90 of every 1,000 private sector workers in 2006 (17th ranked cybercity)
   

• High-tech workers earned an average wage of $70,100 (37th ranked), or 91 percent more than Boise’s average private sector wage
   

• A high-tech payroll of $1.5 billion in 2006 (51st ranked cybercity)
   

• 800 high-tech establishments in 2006 (58th ranked cybercity)

Boise’s National Industry Sector Rankings:

• 19th in total high-tech manufacturing employment with 14,800 jobs
   

• 57th in engineering services employment with 1,700 jobs
   

• 59th in computer systems design and related services employment with 1,800 jobs

Notes:

Boise = Idaho Counties: Ada, Boise, Canyon, Gem, and Owyhee.

Data are for 2006 unless otherwise noted.

2006 data are the most current available for employment, wages, payroll, establishments, and industry sector jobs.

Source: Cybercities 2008

Published by AeA, Advancing the Business of Technology (www.aeanet.org)

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About AeA

AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association, representing all segments of the high-tech industry, is dedicated solely to helping our members’ top line and bottom line. We do this in partnership with our small, medium, and large member companies by lobbying governments at the state, federal, and international levels, providing access to capital and business opportunities, and offering select business services and networking programs. For more information, please visit http://www.aeanet.org.   

This page was last updated on 06/20/08.            
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