- March 28, 2024
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Florida isn't Silicon Valley quite yet, but it's getting closer.
The state added 12,500 technology jobs between 2013 and 2014, bringing the total number of industry jobs to 307,100 -- fourth most in the country.
The numbers were released as part of the Computing Technology Industry Association's annual Cyberstates report, and showed Florida really shouldn't be overlooked anymore.
“When people think tech, they don't often think of Florida, but they should,” says Sara Matz, director of state government affairs for TechAmerica, in a release. “The challenge for Florida is that while we have an important tech cluster around our space coast, our tech industry is spread throughout the state.”
The tech industry contributes 5.5% to the state's economy, Matz says, and accounts for 4.6% of the state's private sector employment.
Florida's growth was the third largest in the nation, where 129,600 jobs were added to a workforce of more than 6.5 million. The average tech job in the United States pays $100,400, compared with $49,600 for the average private sector worker. In Florida, the average tech wage is $80,400, or 88% more than the average private sector wage.
The state is third in both space and defense manufacturing, as well as engineering services employment, with nearly 60,000 jobs in those sectors alone. Florida is fourth in Internet services employment, with 21,800 jobs.