This year’s State of the Industry Report compares three years of data for each of six main technology industry clusters for three years ending in 2024, the latest year for which complete data was available. In addition, this year’s report provides a look back at data from mid-decade and shows a 10-year overview of progress in the region’s technology industries.

A region’s total annual payroll is the most significant measure of its wealth, and in southwestern Pennsylvania, technology industry clusters account for nearly 28 percent of the region’s total workforce payroll. All technology industry clusters experienced positive growth in total annual payroll over a three-year period, most notably IT. Since 1995, 99 percent of all businesses and 60 percent of all job growth continues from small businesses nationwide.

All other tech clusters experienced steady growth across the board with one minor exception in manufacturing which showed a slight drop in number of establishments.

Ever since health services has been reported as part of the life sciences cluster, it is important to note that its total annual payroll is the largest in this report at nearly $9.5 billion. It also has the highest number of employees at more than 106,000. The average wage for health services workers grew at the rate of six percent over three years.

Highlights:

• One enigmatic example of mixed results is in information technology, where employment plunged nearly 23 percent, while average wages surged almost 50 percent.

• The 9,059 technology establishments presented within this report in the year 2024 represent more than 12 percent of all companies in the 13-county region.

• These firms employ 241,804 individuals and account for more than 19.6 percent of the area’s overall workforce.

• The $24 billion annual payroll of technology and related companies, including the health services subcluster, represents more than 28 percent of the region’s total wages.

• The average annual wages in the technology industry clusters are significantly higher than all other industries in the region. Average wages in the region’s tech clusters have reached nearly $100,000, while average wages for all  industries is $69,563.

Report Data/Insights

• 2024
• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015

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