Minnesota is the fastest growing 'tech state' in the country
It may not be home to "Silicon Valley," but Minnesota is the fastest-growing state for technology jobs in the United States.
Analysis of labor figures by Dice.com has revealed that tech jobs in Minnesota are growing at a much higher rate than other states, increasing the size of its tech workforce by 8.36 percent – or 37,600 workers – in the past six months.
That is way ahead of second and third placed Utah and Nebraska, where tech jobs have risen by 5.75 and 5.22 percent respectively in that same time period.
"Minnesota cities such as Minneapolis-Saint Paul feature a combination of startups, service providers, and major corporations in serious need of tech talent," Dice says, explaining Minnesota's performance.
"Moreover, overall tech-job growth in these cities has been steady over the past three quarters, suggesting that the local industry is sustainable."
WCCO reports that the presence of major firms like Target, General Mills and 3M in Minnesota has contributed to the rise, as they each employ "legions of tech workers."
Forbes meanwhile says that the state is also known as "Medical Alley" because it's the home of medical device companies Medtronic, St. Jude Medical and Boston Scientific – which are also heavy hirers of tech workers.
The magazine adds that Minnesota has an "impressive number of technology-specific companies" such as cloud software maker Code 42 and Apple product installation company JAMF Software, which have been in "tech hiring mode" for the last six months.
