Arizona Technology Industry Added More than 4,200 Jobs in 2017, Tech Contributes $28.5 Billion in Economic Impact to State

PHOENIX, March 27, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Employment in Arizona's technology industry expanded by an estimated 4,290 jobs in 2017 and contributed $28.5 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 237,100 workers, Arizona ranks 18th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in net tech employment.¹ This accounts for 7.8 percent of the state's total workforce. The average tech industry wage in Arizona is $99,960, compared to the state's average private sector annual wage of $49,500.

"CompTIA's Cyberstates 2018 report validates the outstanding efforts of the Arizona Technology Council and community leaders to grow our technology economy," said Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO, Arizona Technology Council. "It is especially encouraging to see the increase in job postings for emerging technologies such as IoT, smart cities, drones, A.I., and more. It shows that companies are choosing Arizona for our quality of life, pro-business laws and the talent pool in these new sectors."

The tech sector is responsible for an estimated 10.1 percent ($28.5 billion) of the overall state economy. The state is home to some 8,561 tech business establishments.

Arizona ranked 19th in Cyberstates Innovation Score in 2017. This ranking is based on a state-by-state per capita analysis of tech startups/new tech business formations + venture capital.

The state also saw a 21.2 percent jump 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.

In total, Arizona employers posted 59,710 jobs for technology positions last year.

Leading tech occupations in Arizona include software and web developers (29,500 positions, up 3.8 percent last year), computer system and information security analysts (18,510 jobs, up 4.4 percent) and network architects, administrators, and support specialists (16,270 jobs, up 2.9 percent).

The strongest year-over-year job growth occurred in the categories of software (packaged) (+ 7.8 percent) and IT services and custom software services (+ 5.0 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://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 technology ecosystem; and the more than seven million technology professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the U.S. 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:
Preston Grisham
CompTIA
[email protected]
202-682-4458

SOURCE CompTIA