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Canton Named One of the Top 15 Cities for High-tech Jobs
Canton Area Named A Tech Hotspot, Region is one of the top 15 cities for high tech job growth.

Released/Published: Dec 6, 2012
CANTON, Ohio — 

SAN FRANCISCO – Canton, Ohio might not be the first places you’d think of as hightech hotspot, but it is among the fasting-growing metro areas for high tech jobs in the country.

A new study released today by Engine Advocacy -- “Technology Works” <www.engine.is/techworks> -- shows that high tech jobs are growing in communities across the United States, outpacing job growth in the private sector as a whole, and boosting local growth and job creation. Engine commissioned the Bay Area Council Economic Institute (BACEI) to analyze Bureau of Labor Statistics data to identify communities around the country that are experiencing pronounced job growth in tech.

From 2010-2011, the Canton-Massillon area saw a 10.1% increase in the number of high tech jobs created making it one of the top 15 tech cities in the United States. The average percent growth in technology jobs across the country was 2.6% and the average growth for Ohio was 4.6%.

“We are thrilled to hear we are one of the top 15 high tech job cities in the country. Canton has been working hard to recruit and welcome new and innovative companies to the city,” says Canton Mayor William J. Healy II adding, “As the city continues to see a period of re-growth and economic development, the unemployment rate continues to decline. The citizens of Canton are proud of the city’s heritage and are looking forward to the future.”

The study went on to show that the average salary of a high tech worker in the CantonMassillon area was $55,455 per year. Additionally, the region has been one of the highest growth metro areas in the past five years with a 13.1 percent increase in high tech jobs from 2006-2011.

Key Findings:

• Jobs in high tech industries exist almost everywhere, with 98 percent of U.S. counties home to at least one high tech business.
• Hubs of high tech employment can be found in unexpected places, including communities in the Midwest, South, West, Northeast and along both coasts.
• Employment growth in the high-tech sector has outpaced growth in the private sector by a ratio of three-to-one since the dot-com bust’s bottom in early 2004.
• High tech job growth is projected to outpace the job growth of the economy as a whole over this decade, expanding by 16.2 percent between 2011 and 2020.
• High tech workers earn 17 to 27 percent more than their peers in other industries, even when controlling for factors like age, gender, and education
• Higher wages and job growth have significant effects: the creation of one job in the high tech sector is estimated to best associated with the creation of 4.3 other jobs in local economies.

Enrico Moretti, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley and author of The New Geography of Jobs, said of the report: "This study addresses an important question: how important is high tech employment growth for the US labor market? As it turns out, the dynamism of the US high tech companies matters not just to scientists, software engineers and stockholders, but to the community at large. While the average worker may never be employed by Google or a high tech startup, our jobs are increasingly supported by the wealth created by innovators."

Not only has high-tech job growth remained strong over the last decade, but the report shows that the trend will also continue and that demand for high-tech workers will surpass demand for workers in other sectors. “This research confirms the story that I see unfolding every day in cities across the country.” says Michael McGeary, Senior Strategist for Engine Advocacy. “The trajectory for job growth and the higher incomes of tech workers, combined with the job multiplier effect, make the high-tech sector a key driver of economic growth in cities across America.”

About Engine:
Engine is a San Francisco-based nonprofit that works to foster innovation and entrepreneurship across the U.S.

Engine's goal is to impact policy and pave the way for entrepreneurial andtechnologybased businesses to thrive. To that end, Engine organizes events, mines and analyzes data and spearheads campaigns to educate elected officials, the entrepreneur community and the general public on issues vital to fostering technological innovation. Engine has worked with the the White House, Congress, federal agencies, and state and local governments to write legislation, influence rulemakings, discuss policy issues, and introduce Washington insiders to the tech community.

Engine’s 400+ member companies include Mozilla, Uber, AgLocal, LivingSocial, Yelp and Causes.

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