North Carolina’s Tech Industry Adds 7,600 Jobs
North Carolina Is the 5th Ranked Cyberstate by Tech Employment Growth

Alpharetta, GA (April 24, 2007) – AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association with 2,500 member companies representing all segments of the high-tech industry, today released its 10th anniversary Cyberstates report detailing national and state trends in high-tech employment, wages, and other key economic factors. The report, Cyberstates 2007: A Complete State-by-State Overview of the High-Technology Industry, covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

North Carolina's high-tech industry experienced a net gain of 7,600 jobs – six percent of the state’s tech industry workforce – in 2005, the most recent year state data are available.
North Carolina remained the 16th largest cyberstate employing 142,300 tech workers with a total payroll of $10 billion.

North Carolina’s largest tech industry gains came in the services sectors. Internet services added 3,900 net jobs, a 33 percent increase in 2005. Following this were engineering services which added 1,200 net jobs and R&D and testing labs which added 1,100 net jobs.

"North Carolina’s tech industry is rising fast,” said Mike Levin, Executive Director of the AeA’s Southeast Council which includes North Carolina. "It is growing for the first time since 2001 and that growth is spread across a number of sectors. We added more tech jobs in 2005 than all but four other states, three of which have significantly larger populations than North Carolina. These jobs are a boon for the entire Tar Heel State, as they pay an average wage that is 95 percent more than the average private sector wage.”

“Much of the credit for this growth can be traced back to outstanding universities, both within the Research Triangle and across the state,” said, Sandra Hofmann, Chair of the AeA’s Southeast Council Board of Directors. “They conduct the cutting edge research that creates a knowledge base that allows innovative companies to invent new products and services and create high paying jobs that benefit the entire economy. We need to support public policy efforts at the federal level that increase investment in the long-term research that takes place at universities and that allows them to attract the best and brightest scientists from across the country and around the world."

Nationally, Cyberstates 2007 shows that the high-tech industry is picking up. High-tech employment was up by 146,600 out of 5.8 million workers in 2006, the second year in a row that the U.S. tech industry has added jobs.

This 10th edition of Cyberstates provides a comprehensive review of the high-tech industry nationally and state-by-state in terms of high-tech employment, wages, payroll, and establishments. Cyberstates also offers data on venture capital investments and R&D expenditures.

A national and state-by-state analysis of the technology industry and international trade will appear in a forthcoming AeA report entitled Trade in the Cyberstates 2007: A State-by-State Overview of High-Tech International Trade.

AeA members can purchase Cyberstates 2007 for $125; non-members for $250. Visit www.aeanet.org/cyberstates to download the report, or call 408.987.4200.

What Does High Tech Mean for North Carolina?

• 142,300 high-tech workers (16th ranked cyberstate)
   

• 7,600 jobs added between 2004 and 2005, ranked 5th nationwide
   

• High-tech firms employed 44 of every 1,000 private sector workers in 2005, ranked 25th nationwide
   

• High-tech workers earned an average wage of $69,700 (19th ranked), or 95 percent more than North Carolina's average private sector wage
   

• A high-tech payroll of $9.9 billion in 2005, ranked 15th nationwide
   

• 8,100 high-tech establishments in 2005, ranked 15th nationwide
   

• Venture capital investments of $472 million in 2006, up 7 percent from $442 million in 2005
   

• R&D expenditures of $6.5 billion in 2004, ranked 14th nationwide

North Carolina's National Industry Sector Rankings:

• 5th in communications equipment manufacturing employment with 9,200 jobs
   

• 6th in computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing employment with 12,500 jobs
   

• 7th in Internet services employment with 15,900 jobs

Source: Cyberstates 2007

Data are for 2005 unless otherwise noted.

2005 state data are the most current available for employment, wages, payroll, establishments, and industry sector jobs.

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 with 2,500 member companies 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 04/23/07.                
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