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 2018, 19% of jobs in the region were considered high-tech, clearly higher than both the state (14%) and national (10%) rates. Middlesex, Norfolk and Worcester counties came in at 26%, 12% and 9%, respectively. Overall, more than 300,000 jobs in the region were considered high-tech, with the vast majority of them (241,800) located in Middlesex County. The share of tech jobs has stayed essentially level since 2010.
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. 2019 data for this indicator are expected to be released in the third quarter of 2020.
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
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United States | 10% | 10% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% |
Massachusetts | 15% | 15% | 14% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 14% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 14% | 14% |
Region | 21% | 21% | 20% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 20% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% |
Middlesex | 27% | 28% | 26% | 25% | 25% | 26% | 25% | 26% | 26% | 26% | 26% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 26% |
Norfolk | 14% | 14% | 14% | 13% | 12% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 13% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 11% | 12% | 12% |
Worcester | 11% | 11% | 11% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 10% | 10% | 9% |
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 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | 14,503,287 |
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 | 502,885 |
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 | 314,759 |
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 | 241,842 |
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 | 41,714 |
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 | 31,203 |
Notes: N/A - Data not disclosed or not reported.
INDICATORS | TREND |
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