Boston Ranks 4th Nationwide by Tech Employment at 191,700
Boston’s Tech Industry Adds 4,100 Jobs

Woburn, MA (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 Boston employed 191,700 people in 2006, according to the most current metropolitan data available, the fourth largest cybercity in the nation. The industry also added 4,100 jobs in 2006, the sixth largest gain nationwide. Tech industry jobs are high paying; the average tech industry worker in Boston earned $95,100 or 65 percent more than the metropolitan area’s average private sector wage.

Boston’s largest high-tech industry sector was computer systems design and related services, employing 41,400 in 2006. Their next largest sector was R&D and testing labs, employing 38,500 in 2006, and adding 2,900 from the previous year. Boston also ranked first in the nation for measuring and control instruments and manufacturing employment with 18,000 employees.

“The high-tech industry is very important to Boston,” said Anne Doherty Johnson, AeA New England Council Executive Director. “With nine percent of our private sector workforce in the high-tech industry, it is imperative that we remain globally competitive, both with other cities as well as with other countries. Our high tech companies continue to be challenged with finding enough high-skilled workers. While many students come here to our colleges and universities, we need to find new incentives to make them want to stay in Boston after graduating.”

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 Boston?

• 191,700 high-tech workers in 2006 (4th ranked cybercity)
   

• 4,100 jobs gained between 2005 and 2006 (6th ranked cybercity)
   

• High-tech firms employed 93 of every 1,000 private sector workers in 2006 (15th ranked cybercity)
   

• High-tech workers earned an average wage of $95,100 (8th ranked), or 65 percent more than Boston’s average private sector wage
   

• A high-tech payroll of $18.2 billion in 2006 (4th ranked cybercity)
   

• 8,200 high-tech establishments in 2006 (4th ranked cybercity)

Boston’s National Industry Sector Rankings:

• 3rd in R&D and testing labs employment with 38,500 jobs
   

• 4th in computer systems design and related services employment with 41,400 jobs
   

• 6th in engineering services employment with 19,800 jobs

Notes:

Boston = Massachusetts Counties: Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Suffolk. New Hampshire Counties: Rockingham and Stafford.

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.   

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