CompTIA released its annual cyberstates report on the tech sector this week.

CompTIA released its annual cyberstates report on the tech sector this week. The report includes national data, state breakdowns and rankings. From a New Hampshire perspective, here are some key highlights and takeaways from the Council. Read the full report.

New Hampshire Perspective | Cyberstates 2016: The Definitive State-by-State Analysis of the U.S. Tech Industry published by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

New Hampshire had 1% growth in employment, adding +401 jobs; only 6% growth
since 2009; ranked 38^th nationally.

We ranked 26^th for tech sector patents granted by state, for a total of 306 patents,
an increase of 9%.

Other highlights:

• Ranked 24^th for venture capital funding by state: $125.7m, up 11.5%
• Average wages were $100,682 (nearly double the average private sector wage), ranked number 13
• For total tech employment, NH is ranked 33, which is stable year over year
• Tech workers are 7.3% of private sector workers, #9 nationally
• Tech payroll was 14.1% of NH’s private sector payroll
• Tech establishments are 6.3% of NH’s private sector establishments, ranked 6^th in the country
• Our percentage of female workers is 33.5%, which is just below the national average of 33.8% and places us at 32^nd
• NH has the fourth lowest unemployment rate nationally
• Tech GSP is 8.7% (in 2013 accounting for $5.858B), putting NH at #7 nationally

From Executive Director Matt Cookson:

The news is a mixed bag. First, it shows how important the tech sector is in driving New Hampshire’s economy in terms of wages and gross state product. We are also seeing an uptick in patents filed and venture capital dollars invested in NH tech companies, which is very good news.

The area of concern is growth and this report shows that we only grew jobs in tech by 1% last year, and have been on this slow growth since the data has been tracked, averaging 1% since 2009. When we look at this in conjunction with additional reports we receive on tech jobs listed and hires made, we are lagging in filling positions and that will inhibit the sector’s growth until we can expand the potential job pool.

In short, this report confirms that while we have a strong tech sector, we must develop creative ways to find, grow and train more people on the skills needed in the tech workplaces today and into the future.

U.S. Tech Industry Employment Surpasses 6.7 Million Workers

CompTIA Releases Cyberstates 2016, Showing Employment Growth in 46 States in 2015

WASHINGTON – 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 Industry published 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

• 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

The full report and state level data is available at http://www.cyberstates.org/