America’s cities all have the same dream these days: to be the next Silicon Valley. To court Big Tech, they have taken to showering some of the world’s most profitable companies with taxpayers’ cash.

On the surface the rationale seems obvious. Manufacturing is so 20th century: ship in the tech bros Just 12% of engineering jobs are held by women in the US. That number rises to 27% for computer and mathematical jobs, but still if you know someone working in tech, chances are, they're a man. and soon your rusty old mills will be designer lofts and your dying main street will throb with millennials, craft beer bars and gluten-free bakeries.

Big Tech, desperate cities Tax giveaways to tech firms ​​are ​calculated​ to lure them to cities – but are cities really getting a good deal? Learn more

But while the mayor may get a photo op with Tim Cook or Elon Musk, do the numbers really add up for taxpayers?

According to an analysis by Good Jobs First, the biggest of these tech-based megadeals so far was gifted to Foxconn, the Taiwanese maker of Apple’s iPhone. That deal could end up raiding Wisconsin coffers for more than $4.8bn.

How many jobs do you think will be created for that enormous sum? And how much should each of those jobs be worth? Slide your answer in below.

How many jobs should Foxconn create with their $4.8bn megadeal?

Submit my answer Foxconn has said it will “create 3,000 jobs with the potential to grow to 13,000 new jobs” in the region. If 13,000 new jobs are created, Wisconsin would be paying $346,153 per job at a subsidy of $4.5bn. An astronomical sum, but nothing compared to the $1.5m per job cost if the deal ends up creating just 3,000 new positions. Foxconn has said it will “create 3,000 jobs with the potential to grow to 13,000 new jobs” in the region. If 13,000 new jobs are created, Wisconsin would be paying $346,153 per job at a subsidy of $4.5bn. An astronomical sum, but nothing compared to the $1.5m per job cost if the deal ends up creating just 3,000 new positions. Foxconn has said it will “create 3,000 jobs with the potential to grow to 13,000 new jobs” in the region. If 13,000 new jobs are created, Wisconsin would be paying $346,153 per job at a subsidy of $4.5bn. An astronomical sum, but nothing compared to the $1.5m per job cost if the deal ends up creating just 3,000 new positions.

Here are some other examples of subsidies and the jobs they have created.

Apple: $321m in subsidies for a North Carolina data center

Jobs created 50 Cost per job $6.4m

Apple received $321m in subsidies to build a data center in North Carolina. In return the company promised to create 50 permanent jobs in the Tar Heel state. Maiden, the location of this center, straddles Catawba and Lincoln counties.

Earlier this year, Lincoln county was looking for $4m for its schools to meet immediate needs and “help the district catch up to where it once was and provide enhancements in some areas that have fallen to the wayside in recent years”, according to local reports.

United Technology: $400m in tax credits to stay put in Connecticut

Jobs 18,000 Cost per job $22.2k

Connecticut handed United Technologies Corp $400m in tax credits in 2014 to keep the company happy at a time when others are leaving that state. UTC employs about 18,000 people across the state, so that’s about $22,222 per job. In the meantime the cash-strapped state is looking to borrow $500m. Parents have begged for tax increases to help their underfunded schools. UTC made a profit of $4.5bn last year.

Tesla: $1.3bn in subsidies for its “Gigafactory” in Nevada

Jobs created 6,500 Cost per job $198k

Nevada’s governor Brian Sandoval promised the $1.3bn subsidies the state gave Tesla to build its hi-tech “Gigafactory” in the desert would “change Nevada forever”. Some economists are not sold, arguing the state will never make that cash back.

A report from the comptroller’s office shows corporate tax abatements (of which Tesla is by far the largest) is costing the state millions in lost revenues. Plans for a senior citizens center (that only needs $30,000) are on hold and, again, schools are suffering.

Cerner: $1.6bn in tax incentives by Kansas City council

Jobs created 15,000 Cost per job $109k

Kansas city council voted 10-1 to give Cerner corporation, a health information technology company, $1.6bn in tax incentives in 2013. It projected it would create 15,000 jobs. Missouri state auditor Nicole Galloway warned earlier this year that the state’s budget had not grown enough to pay for a series of tax cuts and the state in considering deep cuts to healthcare and education.

Amazon: ?

Some of the US’s biggest cities are currently wooing Amazon, which is looking for a home for its second headquarters and staging a competition to help it decide. The cities in the second round are generally keeping quiet about their offers. But one contender, Newark, a city with an appalling crime rate and poor schools and public transportation, has reportedly offered $7bn – which would be the largest deal to date.