AeA: Seattle, San Jose Top "Cybercities" List

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Although San Jose, Calif., leads the nations top 60 "cybercities" in the number of high-tech industry employees, the top tech wages are available in Seattle, according to a new report from the AeA and the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The AeA (formerly American Electronics Association) and Nasdaq released its "Cybercities" report on Tuesday, which profiles the 60 top tech cities in the United States in terms of employment, wages and other statistics. The report found that, in general, 59 of the 60 cities have experienced general growth as a result of the high-tech industry in the past 60 years.

The report also showed that the high-tech industry has added 1.1 million new jobs in the United States since 1993, representing about 8 percent of the 13.8 million jobs created by the private sector in the same time period.

In terms of employment, San Jose showed the highest high-tech employment (252,900), followed by Boston (234,800), Chicago (180,400), Washington, D.C., (177,700) and Dallas (176,600). The highest employment growth rates in the past five years were found in Colorado Springs (77 percent), San Francisco (65 percent), Houston (64 percent), Denver (63 percent) and Sacramento (57 percent).

The report also showed that high-tech-sector job growth accounted for 40 percent of all private-sector job growth in San Jose, and for 24 percent or more of total private-sector growth in Hartford, Conn., Huntsville, Ala., Dutchess County (Poughkeepsie), N.Y., and Colorado Springs, Colo.

The average Seattle high-tech employees wage, meanwhile, was $129,300, more than 50 percent of the average high-tech wage paid in San Jose, the AeA and Nasdaq reported, which comes in at about $85,100. Seattle also showed high-tech average wages topping the average private sector job wage by 200 percent.

Middlesex, N.J., also performed well in the wages category at $78,800, followed by San Francisco at $78,400 and Austin, Texas, at $76,300.

The report also found that Washington, D.C., leads other cities in software-services employment, with 70,400 workers, followed by Boston at 48,100 and San Jose at 43,300. San Jose, however, has the highest number of workers in computers, electronic components, semiconductors and industrial-electronics manufacturing.

Home computer penetration, however, is reportedly highest in San Jose, Colorado Springs, Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C., with penetration rates of at least 65 percent.

Robert MacMillan, Newsbytes