CompTIA: Wisconsin Technology Industry added 3,900 workers in 2016

Madison – Wisconsin’s technology industry employment grew by 4 percent in 2016 as employers added an estimated 3,909 new jobs, according to Cyberstates 2017™, the definitive annual analysis of the nation’s tech industry released today by CompTIA, the world’s leading technology association.

With an estimated 101,542 workers, Wisconsin ranks 20^th among the 50 states for tech industry employment. 

Technology occupations across all other industries in Wisconsin – the second component of the tech workforce – reached an estimated 148,300 in 2016.

The tech sector accounts for an estimated 5.1 percent ($15.4 billion) of the overall Wisconsin economy.

The annualized average wage for a Wisconsin tech industry worker was an estimated $79,500 in 2016, 74 percent higher than the average state wage ($45,600).

Other Key Findings 

• Wisconsin ranks 40^th among all states in the Cyberstates 2017 Innovation Score, which is based on an analysis of new tech patents, tech startups and new tech business establishments on a per capita basis. 
• The state is home to an estimated 6,755 tech business establishments.
• The tech industry employs an estimated 3.6 percent of the overall state workforce.
• Leading tech occupations include computer systems analysts (14,410), application software developers (11,530) and computer controlled machine tool operators (10,870).
• The strongest year-over-year job growth occurred in the categories of packaged software (+ 15.4 percent) and computer systems design and IT services (+ 8 percent).
• Employers posted an estimated 10,537 job openings for tech occupations in Q4 2016.

“The Cyberstates data affirms the strength and vitality of Wisconsin’s tech industry, and attests to its essential standing in the economy,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA. “Technology enables innovation and generates growth for companies, regardless of their size, locale or markets served.”

Cyberstates 2017 is based on CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, EMSI, and other sources. Estimates for 2016 are subject to change as government data is revised and updated. The complete report with full national, state and metropolitan level data is available at http://www.cyberstates.org/.