I-70 wage gap? Kansas City lags St. Louis on tech pay, snapshot analysis says
April 10, 2018 | Startland News Staff
St. Louis might be the gateway to higher tech pay — but not by much, according to a new nationwide snapshot analysis of tech industry jobs.
The Kansas City metro logged an average tech wage of $90,940 in 2017, falling slightly behind the St. Louis metro at $96,370, based on data released in the Cyberstates 2018 report from tech advocate CompTIA. The average industry wage for the State of Missouri was lower than both at $88,560. (Kansas was even further behind on tech pay with $81,840.)
Nationwide, the average annual wage for tech jobs is $112,890 — closest to Denver’s average pay at $112,780.
AVERAGE TECH • Dallas — $113,600 Across the Midwest and South, average tech industry wages tended to be $30,000 to $40,000 higher than the overall average local wage, according to Cyberstates 2018. Explore an interactive map here.
INDUSTRY WAGES
• Denver — $112,780
• Chicago — $102,570
• Minneapolis — $100,100
• St. Louis — $96,370
• Detroit — $96,060
• Kansas City — $90,940
• Milwaukee — $88,260
• Indianapolis — $85,490
• Cincinnati — $83,990
• Cleveland — $79,860
• Oklahoma City — $70,590
Cyberstates 2018 is based on CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, EMSI, Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights, and other sources, CompTia said. Estimates for 2017 are subject to change as government data is revised and updated. To read the full report, click here.
While Kansas City’s average tech wages are less than those of its Show-Me State neighbor, the City of Fountains falls squarely in the middle among other non-coastal tech hubs. Fellow up-and-comer Memphis, for example, notched average tech pay of $72,490.
In stark contrast, San Francisco’s tech industry pay is nearly twice that of Kansas City’s at $179,620, according to the report, likely reflecting the Bay Area’s more advanced tech ecosystem as well as a higher cost of living. (San Francisco added 18,450 tech jobs in 2017 for a total of 375,700, the report said.)
On the incomparable Silicon Valley scene, tech pay averages even higher at $232,990, according to the report.
While daunting in terms of scale, not all talent is headed to the coasts, the Cyberstates 2018 analysis indicates. With a total of 99,300 Kansas City tech jobs, according to the report, the metro added 40 local positions from 2016 to 2017 (suggesting a possible slight self-correction of a trend noted in the recent KC Rising report, which showed a net loss of jobs between between 2015 and 2016).
St. Louis added 330 jobs in 2017 for a total of 103,700 across its metro area, the analysis states.
A recent Startland News Innovation Exchange event saw six panelists pondering how Midwestern cities like Kansas City can stop the exodus of talent to the coasts. Ideas frequently fell on the affordability and ease of travel in such “flyover” tech hubs.
“[In Kansas City,] we actually have a greater opportunity to develop our skills, better our talents, and really flex our muscles career-wise because of being a small market, but still having a large enough platform to be known nationally or globally,” said Spencer Hardwick, the founder of the Wire KC and chief of staff at Teach for America Kansas City.
That platform locally is substantial, according to CompTia, which found the Kansas City tech sector amounts to 9.2 percent of the city’s $10.8 billion economy.
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
2023 Startups to Watch: Generation Esports schools players with pro gamer experience that breaks barriers
Editor’s note: Startland News selected 10 Kansas City scaling businesses to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. Now in its eighth year, this feature recognizes founders and startups that editors believe will make some of the biggest news in the coming 12 months. The following is one of 2023’s companies. Click here to…
It began as a one-man DJ; now this ‘Platinum’ experience is landing KCI’s first big event at the new terminal
In-person events are back with vengeance, said Kris Nardini; and Platinum XP is positioned to plan experiences coming only from one’s wildest imagination. “Platinum XP is a single-source, full-service event planning agency. This means that we can quickly create proposals — that are very creative — but also on budget,” explained Nardini, the owner and…
‘Every business matters, every job matters’: How $69M in federal funds is already boosting KS entrepreneurs
Kansas will use a recent influx of federal funding to strengthen the state’s small business and venture capital ecosystems, according to project leaders of a new high-profile effort focusing on equitable access. The state was allocated $69 million earlier this year as part of the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), a federal program that…
Scavenger Tech greenlights indoor-outdoor exploration with box that only unlocks by visiting GPS markers
An inventor’s GPS-driven scavenger hunt device provides needed adventure in the physical world — minimizing screen time while unlocking meaningful challenges and experiences, said Jeff VanDeusen. “I’ve always been someone who likes to go outside and enjoy nature, and I know that’s not always what engineers are known for,” said VanDeusen, creator of Scavenger Tech and…