Governor Kaine Announces Virginia Leads the Nation in Concentration of High-Tech Workers

RICHMOND - Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced that AeA, the nation’s largest trade association representing all segments of the high-tech industry, has ranked Virginia as the national leader for its concentration of high-tech workers. Virginia surpassed Colorado with 89 workers per 1,000 in the private sector workforce. Virginia is the only state to take the lead from Colorado since AeA began publishing the report in 1997.

“Companies focus on states that can provide the workforce that they need to compete in today’s global marketplace,” said Governor Kaine. “This recognition validates our world-class education system, Virginia’s repeated validation as the nation’s most ‘business-friendly state,’ our workforce development efforts, and the tremendous quality of Virginia’s workforce.”

Virginia also ranked fifth in the nation with 261,000 high-tech jobs; and third for growth rate of high-tech employment. The report, Cyberstates 2007: A Complete State-by-State Overview of the High-Technology Industry, details national and state trends in high-tech employment, wages, exports and other key economic factors. The report covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

"The high-tech industry in Virginia is thriving," said William T. Archey, President and CEO, AeA. "For the past several years we have watched the state closely as it has continued to outpace the country in job creation. It was only a matter of time before Virginia rose to become the state with the most high-tech workers as a percentage of the overall private sector workforce. Colorado held that distinction for each of the previous nine years we have published Cyberstates. But now Virginia's time has come. For those across the country who don't think of Virginia as a
high-tech state -- they need to look again."

What Does High Tech Mean for Virginia?

• 261,000 high-tech workers (5th ranked cyberstate)
• 7,700 jobs added between 2004 and 2005
• High-tech firms employed 89 of every 1,000 private sector workers in 2005, ranked 1st nationwide
• High-tech workers earned an average wage of $83,600 (5th ranked), or 99 percent more than Virginia's average private sector wage
• A high-tech payroll of $21.8 billion in 2005, ranked 4th nationwide
• 13,900 high-tech establishments in 2005, ranked 6th nationwide
• Venture capital investments of $368 million in 2006, ranked 12th nationwide
• R&D expenditures of $7.9 billion in 2004, ranked 13th nationwide.

The Cyberstates 2007 report is based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, which is collected from all businesses in the United States as required by law. State ranking and state employment data is based on 2005 information, the most recent year available. For more information about the report, please visit www.aeanet.org/cyberstates.

AeA, founded in 1943 by David Packard, is the largest high-tech trade association in the United States with nearly 2,500 companies, representing all segments of the industry and 1.8 million employees. Currently, AeA has 18 offices in and around the United States, as well as offices abroad in Brussels and Beijing.