Diving into Cyberstates: 4 Facts About Today's Tech Job Market

There’s no sign of the forward march of technology slowing down; not in the way consumers use it, and not in the way businesses leverage it to get the job done. Every year the working world gets more tech-reliant, and so it demands more tech-savvy employees to keep things running. But the technology itself is also evolving. The best skills for an IT pro to have in 2018 aren’t necessarily the same as they were in 2008 or even 2013.

If this sounds obvious, there’s plenty of not-so-obvious observations to be found when you drill down into the details of today’s tech job market. And CompTIA’s 2018 Cyberstates report does just that, analyzing tech job trends throughout the United States by breaking out what’s going on in each state (and in some major metropolitan areas). And this year, as always, it’s revealing some exciting insights about where the tech job market could be heading.

Whether you’re newly CompTIA certified and trying to get a foot in the door, a seasoned IT pro looking to relocate and take a big career leap forward, or if you’re just interested in seeing how your local tech economy stacks up in the scheme of things, there’s a plethora of critical information to be found in the report. And these following four stats will give you a solid preview of all the critical information on the tech workforce that Cyberstates has to offer.

1. Tech Skills Boost Salaries in All 50 States

One of the many ways Cyberstates slices the data on tech job trends is by analyzing the differential between what tech employees earn on average and what non-tech employees earn in each U.S. state.

While in some states the differential is bigger than others, tech employees in the United States make on average 107 percent more than employees in other fields. So, when it comes to seeking a salary that meets your needs, having tech skills puts you in a better position in all 50 states.

Of course, average salary isn’t everything. It has to be adjusted against external factors, like cost of living in a given state or city, and individual personal factors like level of job satisfaction. But at the very least, this number demonstrates that the idea that tech skills can give your career a bump isn’t just media buzz.

Whether you are looking to bolster your existing tech skillset, prepare yourself for a pivot into a more lucrative, growth industry or just want something to fall back on if you find yourself hitting a wall with your current career, you can’t lose by building your tech skills.

2. Tech Is Big in Cities – Beyond Just New York and Silicon Valley

It’s no surprise that Cyberstates reports some of the most thriving tech workforces of 2018 as appearing in places like New York and San Francisco. But living amid the bustle of a massive metro area and working in the high-stress environments one often finds in these perennial top tech towns, isn’t for everybody.

The more interesting news is that the nation is full of cities with thriving tech scenes that aren’t the ones you’d think of right off the bat. Cyberstates identifies 25 metro areas with a higher rate of tech employment than the national average.

These five cities added the most new tech jobs in 2017:

• Detroit: 8,700+
• Charlotte: 4,600+
• Minneapolis: 3,300+
• Orlando: 2,300+
• Nashville: 2,100+

3. Software Is a Growing Segment

With companies continuing to outsource infrastructure needs to the cloud, understanding how to make and manage the apps deployed from that infrastructure is an increasingly important part of a tech skillset. And that’s borne out in Cyberstates’ observation that software is the segment of the tech economy that has experienced the biggest increase in employment: a 44 percent increase between 2010 and 2017.

Many categories of technology are now intertwined, with software positions having elements of hardware, infrastructure, data and security. For example, all of these come together in the development, manufacture and implementation of IoT devices. So, coding and understanding the software side can provide an additional boon to the careers of those more familiar with hardware and managing infrastructure. And IT certifications like CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+, can lay a solid foundation for software professionals looking to gain infrastructure skills.

4. For Different Skillsets, Some States Are Better Than Others

While software may be the main area of growth overall, that doesn’t mean it’s the only critical tech skill, and it accounts for less than one in three IT jobs. Since Cyberstates is broken out on a state-by-state basis, looking at the full study gives a feel not just for what common factors the U.S. tech scene shares, but what’s different about them.

And so, while software may be trending nationwide, there are places where it’s not the main driver. In 11 states, including Maine, network architects, administrators and support specialists are seeing the biggest proportional year-over-year growth. And research and development, testing and engineering services are where the most techs are employed.

States ranking number one in other areas of tech:

• Utah: Software and web developers
• Nevada: Database administrators
• Washington: Network engineers/administrators
• North Carolina: Systems and security analysts

While this doesn’t mean you should up and move to if your skills happen to fit that bill, what it does mean is that Cyberstates’ breakdown of the tech job market can show you where your particular skills might be a better fit, to fold into all the other considerations that go into a job search or career change.

Want to dig even deeper into Cyberstates’ state-by-state analysis and explore what the numbers might mean for your career in tech? Check out the full study here.

Matthew Stern is a freelance writer based in Chicago who covers information technology, retail and various other topics and industries.