Orange County ranks fourth in the state and 14th in the nation for technology jobs, according to a recent report.
The county had 100,900 technology workers in 2006, the year looked at in the study by the American Electronics Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group.
The study used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and measures tech job growth, wages and payroll numbers for about 60 cities and metropolitan areas.
“OC holds its own when compared to these other areas,” said Don Hicks, executive director of the Orange County and Inland Empire chapter of the association. “As far as the tech sector, we are more diverse than some other cities our size.”
Top Five Nationally
Nationwide, the top areas for tech jobs are greater New York, Washington, D.C., Silicon Valley, Boston and Dallas.
From 2001 to 2006, OC saw tech jobs shrink 13%, but fared better than two-thirds of the areas studied.
Before the 2001 tech crash, the county had some 115,800 tech jobs. The number dropped to 104,100 in 2002 and leveled out to 99,600 by 2005. In 2005 and 2006, 1,300 jobs were added.
OC ranked seventh in California for tech salaries at an average of $82,000.
The study counts several types of jobs as tech: telecommunication and Internet services; aerospace and defense electronics; optical, such as lasers, telescopes and digital cameras; medical devices and testing gear; software and video games; and engineering and technology consulting.
About 45% of local tech jobs are in manufacturing. Twenty percent are in software and related services. Twenty percent are in engineering and other technology services. Seventeen percent are in telecom and Internet services.
The county ranks among the top five in three segments: defense, optical and consumer electronics.
OC is second in the nation to Los Angeles in tech workers at defense companies with 9,400 jobs. Los Angeles had 28,600.
As with all studies, the results are open to debate. Boeing Co., the largest defense company here, alone employs about 10,000 workers, most doing engineering, electronics and software work.
2007 numbers, which haven’t been reported by the government, are likely to show growth albeit at a slower rate, said Matthew Kazmierczak, vice president of research and industry analysis for the association.
For California, Silicon Valley remains king. The area leads the nation in concentration of tech workers,about one of every four people there.
After Silicon Valley’s 225,300 tech jobs, Los Angeles was second in California with 172,200. San Diego ranked third at 106,200, just ahead of OC.
Nationally, Seattle saw the largest tech job growth, adding 7,800 workers from 2005 and 2006.
By percentage, the Inland Empire saw the highest growth at 12% from 2005 to 2006. The area ranked No. 8 in California with 25,900 tech jobs.
