What does this measure?
The share of jobs in high-tech occupations, expressed as a percentage of total jobs.
Why is this important?
High-tech jobs are an important component of the economy because high-tech workers tend to be more skilled and more highly paid than other workers. In addition, a region's future vitality is often tied to the strength of its high-tech occupations. Technology development is reinforced by the concentration of firms depending on a similar base of scientific knowledge and skilled workers. Communities with a higher proportion of high-technology firms tend to attract more such firms.
How is our region doing?
In 2020, 21% of jobs in the region were considered high-tech, clearly higher than both the state (16%) and national (11%) rates. Middlesex, Norfolk and Worcester counties came in at 29%, 12% and 11%, respectively. Overall, more than 321,800 jobs in the region were considered high-tech, with the vast majority of them (249,700) located in Middlesex County.
Notes about the data
An industry is considered high-tech if a significantly higher share of workers engage in Research and Development and technology-intensive activities than the average of all industries. Total employment in firms classified as "high-tech" contribute to the sum of high-tech jobs reported for a community.
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 10% | 10% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 11% |
| Massachusetts | 15% | 15% | 14% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 14% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 14% | 14% | 14% | 16% |
| Region | 21% | 21% | 20% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 20% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 20% | 21% |
| Middlesex | 27% | 28% | 26% | 25% | 25% | 26% | 25% | 26% | 26% | 26% | 26% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 26% | 26% | 29% |
| Norfolk | 14% | 14% | 14% | 13% | 12% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 11% | 12% | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| Worcester | 11% | 11% | 11% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 10% | 10% | 9% | 10% | 11% |
Notes: N/A - Data not disclosed or not reported.
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 13,574,455 | 13,392,313 | 12,538,214 | 12,056,448 | 12,041,268 | 12,268,179 | 12,580,983 | 12,885,087 | 13,094,334 | 12,498,935 | 12,337,808 | 12,629,547 | 12,908,553 | 13,163,570 | 13,417,264 | 13,703,387 | 13,896,094 | 14,050,503 | 14,509,609 | 14,894,437 | 14,746,130 |
| Massachusetts | 506,284 | 504,047 | 457,623 | 428,693 | 419,067 | 424,899 | 427,525 | 434,468 | 442,243 | 425,695 | 416,472 | 424,986 | 432,997 | 438,558 | 445,490 | 457,388 | 471,173 | 480,082 | 503,594 | 520,196 | 519,073 |
| Region | 309,077 | 319,424 | 288,903 | 272,192 | 267,282 | 274,152 | 274,881 | 278,886 | 284,155 | 276,132 | 271,358 | 271,492 | 275,710 | 280,987 | 283,046 | 290,531 | 297,512 | 300,845 | 315,312 | 323,495 | 321,740 |
| Middlesex | 226,611 | 239,431 | 209,735 | 197,717 | 195,705 | 201,044 | 203,683 | 207,751 | 213,412 | 208,686 | 206,169 | 206,296 | 208,423 | 212,169 | 214,378 | 219,227 | 224,328 | 225,913 | 242,350 | 249,033 | 249,670 |
| Norfolk | 46,056 | 44,345 | 43,683 | 41,483 | 39,495 | 41,630 | 40,521 | 41,853 | 42,258 | 40,032 | 38,127 | 36,870 | 38,698 | 39,867 | 39,014 | 39,663 | 40,084 | 41,331 | 41,749 | 39,554 | 37,513 |
| Worcester | 36,410 | 35,648 | 35,485 | 32,992 | 32,082 | 31,478 | 30,677 | 29,282 | 28,485 | 27,414 | 27,062 | 28,326 | 28,589 | 28,951 | 29,654 | 31,641 | 33,100 | 33,601 | 31,213 | 34,908 | 34,557 |
Notes: N/A - Data not disclosed or not reported.
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