Studies rank Colorado in top 5 for tech jobs

A pair of studies have ranked Colorado in the top five for technology employment.

It’s the fourth-best state in America to be a web developer, according to a study conducted by web-design company Digital Silk, and the fifth-best state for technology careers in general, according to research from San Francisco-based business consulting firm Venture Smarter.

The study by Digital Silk, which has offices in Chicago, Miami, New York, San Diego and San Francisco, analyzed metrics such as the average base salary for web developers, remote working statistics and quality-of-life scale in each state, which compares average wages against living costs such as rent, food and transportation costs. The factors were then combined into an index to reveal the best states to pursue or continue a career in web development.

Colorado was assigned an index score of 61.8 out of 100, trailing only Washington at 82.6, Virginia at 67.4 and Maryland at 66.9. California ranked fifth at 57.7.

The study found that the average annual salary for a web developer in Colorado is $80,270 and that 23.7% of those employed in web development work from home.

Rounding out the top 10 were Massachusetts at 57.3, Illinois at 56.8, Minnesota at 56.8, New Jersey at 55.8 and Utah at 54.2.

“Web development is becoming a more popular career choice across America,” said Gabriel Shaoolin, founder and CEO of Digital Silk, in a prepared statement. “Not only did this study analyze salaries and remote working statistics per state, but also living costs across the country. Measuring these factors alongside each other gave the finished list, and the results can be surprising. For example, California, known as a global tech hub and home to Silicon Valley, fails to rank in the top three.”

Meanwhile, the Venture Smarter study ranked Colorado behind only Washington, California, Virginia and Maryland as best for thriving tech careers. The research analyzed metrics relevant to careers in tech such as the median hourly wage in tech roles, the number of people employed in tech roles per 1,000 jobs in each state, and the percentage of remote workers and scored them out of 100 in a Tech-Friendly Index.

The research showed that Washington is the best state in America to work in tech, with a total score of 87.72 out of 100. The Evergreen State has the highest number of remote workers as well as the second-highest number of people employed in tech roles per 1,000 jobs. The state also has the second-highest median hourly wage for all industries and the second-highest median hourly wage in tech industries. 

Colorado scored 71.1 out of 100, with a median hourly tech wage of $51.33, 212% higher than the median hourly wage of $24.16 for all industries in the state. Colorado also has 48 workers employed in tech roles for every 1,000 employed residents.

Rounding out the top 10 were North Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey, Delaware and Massachusetts.

Wyoming, with a score of 3.83 out of 100, was ranked the worst state to work in tech, with the lowest rate of people employed in tech roles per 1,000 jobs and one of the lowest percentages of remote workers.

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