Nashville’s Tech Employment Totals 19,500
Nashville’s Tech Industry Payroll Totals $1.3 Billion

Alpharetta, GA (June 24, 2008) – AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association representing all segments of the high-tech industry, today released Cybercities 2008: An Overview of the High-Technology Industry in the Nation's Top 60 Cities. This detailed report tracks trends in high-tech employment, wages, establishments, payroll, employment concentration, and wage differential at the metropolitan level.

Nashville’s high-tech industry employed 19,500 in 2006, according to the most current state data available. These jobs are high paying, with the average tech worker in Nashville earning $65,900 in 2006 or 59 percent more than the average private sector wage of $41,500. All these well paid tech workers gave Nashville a tech payroll of $1.3 billion in 2006.

Telecommunications services was the largest high-tech industry sector in the Nashville area, employing 4,700 in 2006. The next largest was computer systems design and related services, employing 3,900 of the Nashville population in 2006.

“Nashville’s high-tech industry has now seen job growth the past two years” said Glen Whitley, Executive Director, AeA Southeast Council. “Clearly tech is an important part of our local economy and we need to do everything possible to grow these types of jobs, especially since they pay so well relative to the private sector as a whole. The key is for local leaders to improve K-12 education in math and science to prepare kids for these high-paying careers. We also need to push our leaders in Washington to invest more in university based scientific research which has always provided the seed corn for future innovation.”

“With its many universities, strong sense of community, and high caliber of technology talent, Nashville has been a great place to grow our company,” commented Ravi Bagal, Vice President of Marketing at Edgenet, a Nashville-based software and data services company.  “We’ve been able to thrive here, drawing and retaining some tremendous talent from across the country.”

Cybercities 2008 shows that the top five cybercities by high-tech employment in 2006 were the New York Metro Area, Washington, DC, San Jose/Silicon Valley, Boston, and Dallas-Fort Worth. The nation’s highest tech industry concentration was in San Jose/Silicon Valley, where more than one in four private sector workers were employed by the tech industry. Seattle saw the largest tech industry employment growth, adding 7,800 jobs in 2006.

Later this summer, AeA will release Trade in the Cyberstates 2008: A State-by-State Overview of High-Tech International Trade. That report will look at the most recent data on high-tech exports from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

AeA members can purchase Cybercities 2008 for $125; non-members for $250.  Visit www.aeanet.org/cybercities to download the report, or call 408.987.4200. 

What Does High Tech Mean for Nashville?

• 19,500 high-tech workers in 2006 (55th ranked cybercity)
   

• 100 jobs gained between 2005 and 2006 (49th ranked cybercity)
   

• High-tech firms employed 30 of every 1,000 private sector workers in 2006 (58th ranked cybercity)
   

• High-tech workers earned an average wage of $65,900 (48th ranked cybercity), or 59 percent more than Nashville’s average private sector wage
   

• A high-tech payroll of $1.3 billion in 2006 (55th ranked cybercity)
   

• 1,100 high-tech establishments in 2006 (48th ranked cybercity)

Nashville’s National Industry Sector Rankings:

• 42nd in telecommunications services employment with 4,700 jobs
   
• 50th in computer systems design and related services employment with 3,900 jobs
   
• 50th in engineering services employment with 3,000 jobs

Notes:

Nashville = Tennessee Counties: Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickinson, Hickman, Macon, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, and Wilson

Data are for 2006 unless otherwise noted.

2006 data are the most current available for employment, wages, payroll, establishments, and industry sector jobs.

Source: Cybercities 2008

Published by AeA, Advancing the Business of Technology (www.aeanet.org)

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About AeA

AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association, representing all segments of the high-tech industry, is dedicated solely to helping our members’ top line and bottom line. We do this in partnership with our small, medium, and large member companies by lobbying governments at the state, federal, and international levels, providing access to capital and business opportunities, and offering select business services and networking programs. For more information, please visit http://www.aeanet.org.   

This page was last updated on 06/23/08.            
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