Forbes: Raleigh-Cary Metro is the #2 Area for Creating the Most Technology Jobs

by Joel Kotkin of Forbes

Full Article

Excerpt on Raleigh-Cary 

"Much the same can be said about Austin’s East Coast doppelganger, Raleigh-Cary, N.C., which ranks second on our list. Like Austin, Raleigh-Cary is a big college metro area, and also hosts the state capital, something that tends to lessen wild swings during industry downturns. Like Austin, Raleigh is not a primary center of the social media boom, but it has registered a 54.7% increase in tech sector employment since 2001 and an impressive 24.6% rise in STEM jobs. Much of the growth comes from global companies such as IBM,GSK, Syngenta, RTI International, Credit Suisse, and Cisco."

Raleigh-Cary, NC

Tech Industry Employment Growth, 2001-13: 54.7% 
STEM Occupation Growth, 2001-13: 24.6%

Methodology

To determine the metro areas that are generating the most tech jobs, Mark Schill of Praxis Strategy Group examined employment data in two different categories. Half our ranking is based on changes in employment at companies in high-technology industries, such as software and engineering. Half is based on changes in the number of workers classified as being in STEM occupations, which captures tech workers who are employed in industries not primarily associated with technology, such as finance or business services. We ranked the 52 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas by the growth in tech employment from 2001 to 2013, as well as for their more near-term growth from 2010 to 2013 to give credit for current momentum.