For Immediate Release
North Carolina Technology Industry Added More 11,000 Workers in 2016
State ranks 13th in tech employment, 20th in innovation
Raleigh, N.C., April 3, 1027 – North Carolina’s technology industry employment grew by an
estimated 5.9 percent in 2016, as employers added more than 11,000 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 197,880 workers, North Carolina ranks 13th among the 50 states for tech
industry employment.
Technology occupations across all other industries in North Carolina – the second component of
the tech workforce – reached an estimated 205,700 in 2016.
The tech sector accounts for an estimated 6.6 percent of the overall North Carolina economy.
The annualized average wage for a North Carolina tech industry worker was an estimated
$93,200 in 2016, 99 percent higher than the average state wage ($46,700). North Carolina ranks
20th nationally in average tech industry wages.
Other Key Findings
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North Carolina ranks 20th 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 16,605 tech business establishments.
The tech industry employs an estimated 4.7 percent of the overall state workforce.
Leading tech occupations include application software developers (24,280), computer
systems analysts (21,170) and computer user support specialists (20,560).
The strongest year-over-year job growth occurred in the categories of computer
systems design and IT services (+ 7.9 percent), R&D and testing labs (+ 7.8 percent) and
engineering services (7.2 percent).
Employers posted an estimated 19,800 job openings for tech occupations in Q4 2016.
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“The Cyberstates data affirms the strength and vitality of North Carolina’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/.
CompTIA: Building the Foundation for Technology's Future
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world's leading technology
association, with approximately 2,000 member companies, 3,000 academic and training
partners, over 100,000 registered users and more than two million IT certifications issued.
CompTIA's unparalleled range of programs foster workforce skills development and generate
critical knowledge and insight – building the foundation for technology’s future. Visit CompTIA
online, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to learn more.
Contact:
Preston Grisham
CompTIA
[email protected]
(202) 862-4458
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
(630) 678-8468
[email protected]
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