Forbes Names Columbus a Top City for Tech Jobs

According to a recent report from Forbes, Columbus is one of the nation’s top cities for technology jobs.  The report, which was compiled by the Praxis Strategy Group, was based upon data collected by EMSI, an economic modeling firm.  Praxis charted those cities that have gained the most manufacturing, software and services jobs over the last decade, along with the concentration of tech employment in these cities.  According to the report, Columbus is ranked the third best city for technology jobs in the U.S., preceded only by Seattle (#1) and Baltimore (#2).

In the U.S. this past year technology jobs outpaced the overall rate of new employment nearly four times.  But those jobs are not being created in the usual locations such as Silicon Valley.  Instead, metros such as Central Ohio, Salt Lake City, Jacksonville and Washington DC are creating and gaining more high tech jobs than Silicon Valley -- which lost about 80,000 jobs in the past decade.

In contrast, the top cities have managed to gain tech jobs steadily in the past decade — and have added new jobs at a concentrated rate in the last two years. Speculation about what drives this growth includes the presence of a major academic research institute in the market, a reasonable cost of living and a tax and regulatory environment that is business-friendly.

Although the report cautions that predicting exactly where tech jobs will grow in the future is difficult, analysts do contend that, based on both historic and recent trends, the surest bets for future growth are still within the top five cities – including the Columbus region.

For the complete list of top cites for tech jobs and more details on this report see: 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2011/11/18/the-best-cities-for-te...