COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 27, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Employment in Ohio’s technology industry expanded by nearly 3,000 jobs in 2017 and the industry contributed $30.9 billion to the state’s economy, according to Cyberstates™ 2018, the definitive annual analysis of the nation’s tech industry published today by CompTIA, the world’s leading technology industry association.

With an estimated 384,000 workers, Ohio ranks 10^th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in net tech employment.^[1] This accounts for 6.6 percent of the state’s total workforce. The average tech industry wage in Ohio is $82,120, compared to the state’s average private sector annual wage of $48,480.

The tech sector is responsible for an estimated 5.4 percent ($30.9 billion) of the overall state economy. The state is home to some 15,686 tech business establishments.

Ohio posted a significant jump in its Cyberstates Innovation Score, climbing to 15^th this year compared to 33^rd in 2017. This ranking is based on a state-by-state per capita analysis of new tech patents awarded, tech startups and new tech business establishments.

The state also saw a 50.4 percent increase from 2016 to 2017 in the number of job postings related to emerging technologies – such as the Internet of Things, smart cities, drones, artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual reality and augmented reality, and blockchain. While these positions accounted for only a small percentage of total tech job postings, it indicates where organizations are headed with the technology investments.

The strongest year-over-year job growth occurred in the categories of packaged software (+ 4.3 percent); R&D, testing and engineering services (+ 2.5 percent); and IT services and custom software services (+ 2.2 percent).

Cyberstates 2018 (#cyberstates) is based on CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, EMSI, Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights, and other sources. Estimates for 2017 are subject to change as government data is revised and updated. The complete Cyberstates 2018 report, with complete national, state and metropolitan level data, is available at http://www.cyberstates.org/

[1] Net tech employment includes tech industry workers in technical and non-technical positions, technical workers in other industries and self-employed technology workers.

About CompTIA

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $4.8 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the technology professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the global economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. Visit www.comptia.org to learn more.

Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA 
sostrowski@comptia.org
630-678-8468

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SOURCE CompTIA