Milwaukee's technology workforce expanded slightly in 2022 at a pace of growth that trailed other major Midwest cities, according to new data published by industry trade group CompTIA.
Technology employment in the Milwaukee area grew 0.5% year over year in 2022 to 46,124 jobs, per data in CompTIA’s 2023 State of the Tech Workforce report. The region's technology workforce makes up 5.2% of the region’s workforce and generates an economic impact of $8.1 billion, accounting for 7.4% of the region’s economic impact.
The biggest concentration of technology jobs in Milwaukee are in software, programming and web positions, which account for 10,677 jobs. Other roles making up a sizable portion of the local technology workforce include network engineers, architects and support; and cybersecurity and systems engineers. Those two occupation groups account for 4,343 jobs and 4,340 jobs, respectively.
The estimated median wage for technology workers in Milwaukee is $84,995, which CompTIA’s data said is 92% higher than the median wage for all jobs in the region.
While the 2022 jobs figures mark a return to growth for the city's technology sector, the CompTIA report forecasts a decline in 2023, with employment dipping 0.2%, or 111 jobs, this year.
Milwaukee ranks at No. 36 for the size of its technology workforce among U.S. metropolitan markets, according to CompTIA’s data. It ranks lower, No. 43, among U.S. markets for jobs added in 2022. While Milwaukee's technology workforce grew in 2022, the increase trailed several Midwestern cities, except St. Louis, which was up just 0.3%. Year-over-year growth rates in other Midwest markets were:
- Kansas City: +2.8%, with total technology employment of 74,404;
- Indianapolis: +2.1%, with total technology employment of 57,055;
- Nashville, +6.3%, with total technology employment of 52,768;
- Cincinnati: +1.5%, with total technology employment of 53,453;
- Chicago, +1.4%, with total technology employment of 245,390.
