A new report from the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) shows Wisconsin’s technology-related labor force expanded by more than 44,000 workers over the past decade, increasing the industry’s economic impact on the state to more than $21 billion.
Based on CompTIA research, there were 217,837 people working in Wisconsin’s tech industry by the end of 2019, the 19th-highest amount in net tech employment in the U.S. Of that amount, 73,918 of the sector’s workforce is located in the Milwaukee metro region.
The bulk of the state’s tech workers are software and web developers (25,800), followed by cyber and systems analysts (17,000).
Net tech employment for Wisconsin increased by roughly 5,000 workers in 2019, a 2.3% increase from 2018 and the 21st-highest increase for any state last year. In Milwaukee, the tech labor force increased by 662 positions from 2018 to 2019, and by 7,283 this past decade.
The manufacturing industry was the only sector to add more jobs to Wisconsin's economy in 2019.
Between 2010 and 2019, tech-related jobs in Wisconsin grew by 25.6%, CompTIA says, adding that the tech sector now accounts for 7% of the state’s total economy and 7.1% of the state’s workforce.
The estimated median tech occupation wage in Wisconsin is $68,576, 62% higher than the median wage for all occupations in the state.
