Report: Boston among top 50 tech markets, Providence not included

BOSTON – A recent report from CBRE, a real estate services firm, which analyzed U.S. tech employment over the past five years, listed the top 50 technology markets in the United States, but Providence was not one of them.
Boston cracked the top 10, coming in at No. 7, with total 2015 tech employment at 111,290, a 12.9 percent increase from 2010. The average wage in Boston last year was $102,905, an 8.9 percent increase since 2010, according to the Scoring Tech Talent report.
Tech positions were broken down into four categories. In Boston, software developers/programmers totaled 44,670; computer support, database and systems (41,640); computer and information systems managers (11,140); and technology engineering related (13,840). It showed that those in tech positions are predominantly male at 73 percent of the total.
Coming in at No. 1 was the San Francisco Bay Area; followed by Washington, D.C.; Seattle; New York City; Austin, Texas; and Dallas/Forth Worth. Coming in eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively, were Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Atlanta and Baltimore.
The San Francisco Bay Area saw the largest growth rate of tech jobs at 61.5 percent, with total 2015 tech employment at 316,530. There, the average wage grew 17 percent over the five-year time frame to $123,921.
CBRE rated markets on 13 metrics, including tech labor costs and office rents.
CBRE said tech talent only comprises 3.5 percent of the total U.S. workforce, but has grown 27 percent over the past five years, adding more than 1 million jobs to the economy.
Boston also was listed among the top 10 markets for educational attainment for its 46.5 percent rate representing those 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Seattle topped that list at nearly 59 percent, according to the report.
The report did note that Boston, along with Phoenix and Los Angeles, posted the “deepest deficits in retention of locally-educated talent.” Boston lost more than 17,000 workers over the five-year period. High housing costs in Boston, a 28 percent increase since 2010, were noted. The average apartment rent is $2,167 a month there, the report said.

No posts to display