Advocates tout findings to argue that the sector is important to the national economy. Data shows tech sector resilience

SAN FRANCISCO — Think of the nation’s tech centers and a few places come to mind — San Francisco, Boston and Northern Virginia, for example.

But according to statistics released Wednesday by two nonpartisan tech policy organizations, gathered as part of an upcoming report, cities such as Greensboro, N.C., and Dayton, Ohio, have experienced some of the fastest tech-related job growth in the nation during the recession.


The data was compiled by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, and Engine Advocacy, which focuses on the policy issues facing tech startups and venture firms.

Representatives of the groups will discuss the data at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, and display an interactive map at the Google kiosk there.

According to the data, which will be part of a larger report on the tech sector’s importance to the economy, more than 70 percent of counties nationwide had a high-tech startup in 2009 and high-tech startup creation has held steady during the recession, compared to new businesses in the private sector as a whole.

The two organizations aim to show that the sector is not only a big part of places like San Francisco, but is tied to the economy’s overall health and growth nationwide. That could help the industry as it pushes its agenda on Capitol Hill.

“It is not just San Francisco and New York experiencing growth because of the high-tech industry, it is happening everywhere,” said Mike McGeary, political director and senior strategist at Engine Advocacy. “Tech is leading the way in terms of recovery and growth. It presents some policy challenges. It highlights some of the issues the tech industry will face such as high-skilled visas and putting necessary resources for science, math and engineering education. We don’t want to slip in the next 10 years.”

The organizations plan to release a full report within the next few months. Among the findings so far:

• Jobs in the tech sector are projected to grow 16 percent in the next eight years, compared to 12.8 percent for the whole private sector. • In 2011, Greensboro-High Point, N.C. saw 36 percent high-tech job growth in a review of metro areas with more than 200,000 workers on private sector payrolls. In comparison, San Francisco saw 20 percent high-tech job growth. Columbus, S.C. and Dayton, Ohio, both had more than 20 percent high-tech job growth. Overall, the U.S. saw a 2.6 percent growth in high-tech jobs. • During the recession, high-tech startup creation held steady at about 60,000 on average per year. New businesses across the economy dropped from about 650,000 in 2007 to a little more than 500,000 in 2010.

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 8:00 a.m. on August 29, 2012.

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