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Chapter 8. State Indicators

Workforce

Computer Specialists as a Percentage of All Occupations



Findings

  • In the United States, 3.46 million individuals (2.65% of the workforce) were employed as computer specialists in 2012, an increase from the 2.73 million computer specialists employed in 2003, which accounted for 2.14% of the workforce.
  • States showed large differences in the intensity of computer-related operations in their economies, with 0.88% to 5.35% of their workforces employed in computer-related occupations in 2012.
  • Computer-intensive occupations were especially concentrated in the District of Columbia and the adjacent states of Maryland and Virginia. This may be due to the presence of many government offices, colleges and universities, and government contractors in the area that employ individuals in computer occupations.
  • Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research states tended to have smaller percentages of computer specialists in their workforces and accounted in total for 10% of computer specialists nationally.


Description

This indicator represents the percentage of specialists with advanced computer training in a state’s workforce. Computer specialists are identified from standard occupational codes that include computer and information scientists, programmers, software engineers, support specialists, systems analysts, database administrators, and network and computer system administrators. Higher values may indicate a state workforce that is better able to thrive in an information economy or to embrace and use computer technology.

Data on individuals in computer occupations and total occupations come from a survey of workplaces that assigns workers to a state based on where they work. Estimates do not include self-employed persons and are developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from data provided by state workforce agencies.

Estimates for states with smaller populations are generally less precise than estimates for states with larger populations.


Data Table

Table 8-38
Computer specialists as a percentage of all occupations, by state: 2003, 2008, and 2012
 
Computer specialists All occupations Computer specialists in
all occupations (%)
State 2003 2008 2012 2003 2008 2012 2003 2008 2012
 
EPSCoR states 261,450 321,940 337,260 19,688,810 21,058,900 20,239,580 1.33 1.53 1.67
Non-EPSCoR states 2,389,820 2,826,110 3,067,180 106,264,140 112,528,090 108,402,850 2.25 2.51 2.83
Average EPSCoR
state value 		na na na na na na 1.37 1.57 1.74
Average non-EPSCoR
state value 		na na na na na na 2.30 2.55 2.87
 
United States 2,732,640 3,198,050 3,456,500 127,420,190 135,185,230 130,287,700 2.14 2.37 2.65
Alabama 28,010 33,570 37,140 1,817,240 1,945,300 1,824,400 1.54 1.73 2.04
Alaska 3,170 4,120 5,000 290,740 307,790 318,700 1.09 1.34 1.57
Arizona 45,020 55,840 68,770 2,275,410 2,637,830 2,414,340 1.98 2.12 2.85
Arkansas 11,770* 18,230 18,020* 1,118,690 1,176,050 1,155,020 1.05 1.55 1.56
California 361,640 401,690 458,630 14,460,860 15,212,610 14,303,630 2.50 2.64 3.21
Colorado 73,490 84,680 88,840 2,097,650 2,302,340 2,226,160 3.50 3.68 3.99
Connecticut 42,600 44,470 41,610 1,631,610 1,697,810 1,620,620 2.61 2.62 2.57
Delaware 8,930* 11,800* 13,130 403,650 425,210 405,750 2.21 2.78 3.24
District of Columbia 26,590 32,170 31,340 595,220 635,500 653,760 4.47 5.06 4.79
Florida 132,520 147,920 153,030 7,217,400 7,771,740 7,273,850 1.84 1.90 2.10
Georgia 86,970 91,760 101,120 3,770,430 4,068,270 3,815,530 2.31 2.26 2.65
Hawaii 7,170 8,040 8,950 557,400 612,420 588,210 1.29 1.31 1.52
Idaho 7,720 10,990* 9,010* 563,200 650,240 598,540 1.37 1.69 1.51
Illinois 120,840* 138,900 142,000 5,719,150 5,910,630 5,640,740 2.11 2.35 2.52
Indiana 36,440 43,090 45,450* 2,851,210 2,927,620 2,811,920 1.28 1.47 1.62
Iowa 20,640 26,920 29,300 1,413,220 1,502,600 1,470,740 1.46 1.79 1.99
Kansas 19,980 28,170 27,790 1,292,170 1,374,560 1,320,920 1.55 2.05 2.10
Kentucky 24,370 27,770 27,410 1,719,620 1,817,860 1,764,750 1.42 1.53 1.55
Louisiana 18,190 16,770 19,050 1,851,870 1,887,370 1,868,210 0.98 0.89 1.02
Maine 6,730 7,960 8,550 591,750 604,150 581,110 1.14 1.32 1.47
Maryland 87,350 91,600 101,660 2,448,580 2,561,530 2,510,680 3.57 3.58 4.05
Massachusetts 102,180 117,580 133,370 3,130,720 3,234,860 3,202,080 3.26 3.63 4.17
Michigan 71,830* 88,570 91,460 4,310,420 4,142,750 3,918,120 1.67 2.14 2.33
Minnesota 67,110 79,500 79,410 2,591,720 2,704,860 2,641,110 2.59 2.94 3.01
Mississippi 8,200 9,800 9,490 1,089,350 1,138,210 1,080,420 0.75 0.86 0.88
Missouri 55,730 66,140* 74,530 2,623,020 2,740,170 2,605,910 2.12 2.41 2.86
Montana 4,790* 5,270* 6,250 394,820 444,090 432,380 1.21 1.19 1.45
Nebraska 15,960* 20,110 24,330 879,550 928,120 914,830 1.81 2.17 2.66
Nevada 10,490 13,890 14,780 1,086,110 1,278,230 1,127,160 0.97 1.09 1.31
New Hampshire 12,780 17,560 17,030 607,570 634,570 612,710 2.10 2.77 2.78
New Jersey 109,960 131,090 121,030 3,878,020 3,986,310 3,793,720 2.84 3.29 3.19
New Mexico 11,380* 12,050 13,980 747,050 819,480 773,860 1.52 1.47 1.81
New York 167,790 201,100* 206,960 8,236,200 8,633,580 8,542,280 2.04 2.33 2.42
North Carolina 68,320 87,410 99,940 3,702,170 4,063,420 3,878,800 1.85 2.15 2.58
North Dakota 3,050 4,660* 6,740 314,620 350,360 403,290 0.97 1.33 1.67
Ohio 92,040 116,010 124,070 5,308,270 5,323,130 5,054,250 1.73 2.18 2.45
Oklahoma 21,600* 25,790 22,860 1,416,640 1,557,750 1,529,900 1.52 1.66 1.49
Oregon 31,430 37,010 40,350 1,537,000 1,706,740 1,609,900 2.04 2.17 2.51
Pennsylvania 98,860 118,710 127,390 5,494,430 5,705,170 5,596,480 1.80 2.08 2.28
Rhode Island 9,190* 9,180* 9,770 477,320 478,420 453,020 1.93 1.92 2.16
South Carolina 19,560 28,010 28,940 1,764,170 1,892,690 1,796,550 1.11 1.48 1.61
South Dakota 4,910 5,950 6,120 364,970 395,960 398,680 1.35 1.50 1.54
Tennessee 35,700 38,250 41,480 2,614,830 2,755,800 2,657,280 1.37 1.39 1.56
Texas 197,310 257,960 285,120 9,248,660 10,391,420 10,579,400 2.13 2.48 2.70
Utah 25,930 32,220 33,850 1,043,500 1,230,320 1,200,850 2.48 2.62 2.82
Vermont 5,080 5,460 6,560 291,400 301,130 294,090 1.74 1.81 2.23
Virginia 142,270 172,550 192,490 3,412,070 3,670,980 3,597,100 4.17 4.70 5.35
Washington 79,320 104,850 127,310 2,560,190 2,868,910 2,764,080 3.10 3.65 4.61
West Virginia 6,960 7,360 9,520 680,200 717,740 710,540 1.02 1.03 1.34
Wisconsin 36,530 50,290 58,010 2,687,400 2,776,690 2,673,280 1.36 1.81 2.17
Wyoming 1,680 2,130 2,530 240,730 283,980 278,040 0.70 0.75 0.91
 
Puerto Rico 7,070 8,750 9,200 962,000 999,010 942,080 0.73 0.88 0.98
 

* = value may be underreported because one or more codes for computer occupations were suppressed by the state or the Bureau of Labor Statistics and were not reported at the state level; na = not applicable.

EPSCoR = Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

NOTES: United States total includes states with suppressed data. For an explanation of EPSCoR and non-EPSCoR averages, see the chapter introduction.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Survey (various years).

Science and Engineering Indicators 2014


State Data Tool

The state data tool allows interactive exploration of the 58 indicators in this chapter. Users have the ability to choose and explore a single indicator in-depth, compare multiple indicators for preselected groups, customize their own graphics, or download data tables. Click the button below to get started.

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