Grads With High-Tech Degrees Might Want To Stay In Florida

TAMPA, FL -- Hundreds of thousands of students graduated last month brandishing newly minted sheepkin. Many opted for degrees in technology in anticipation of filling a perceived demand for 21st-century high-tech jobs.

But when it comes to actually getting a paycheck in their chosen field, how many of these new college graduates will succeed?

That's the question posed by Business.org, a website that helps consumers make informed purchase decisions.

Business.org compared high-tech job salaries in 100 cities across the U.S. with their respective state salary averages for all other jobs, and came up with a list of areas where graduates with technology degrees can make the most and least money.

Florida has nine cities on the list, including the coveted No. 1 spot.

Findings:

• Palm Bay, Florida, pays the most for tech skills. The average salary is $159,000. That’s triple the state average salary of $50,000. With companies like Lockheed Martin, IBM and Harris Corp. in Palm Bay and the surrounding areas, it makes sense that the wages in Palm Bay are high. Nevertheless, even the Business.org analysts were surprised that Palm Bay rated higher than San Francisco, which came in at No. 4.
• Florida's rankings, in order: Palm Bay ($159k). Tampa ($83.5k), Orlando ($83.2k), Jacksonville ($81k). Lakeland ($80.8k), North Port ($80.5k), Miami ($78k), Daytona Beach ($69k) and Fort Myers ($65k).
• Silicon Valley may have a been a hit TV show, but you’ll make more for your skills (and pay less in rent) in Dayton, Ohio, Syracuse, New York and Palm Bay.
• If you were thinking about job hunting in Stockton, you may want to rethink that. Stockton, California, is home to the smallest difference between tech salaries and average state salaries ($73,000 vs. $67,000). Yikes.

For a complete list of rankings, see Business.org's 2018 report.

Image via Business.org