Metro Area Advanced Industry Jobs: 1980 - 2013

A recent Brookings Institution study examined advanced industries, or those that invest significantly in research and development while employing large numbers of workers in STEM-intensive occupations. It's these select industries, according to Brookings, that will be key to ensuring sustainable regional economic growth. (For a list of the 50 "advanced industries," see the table on this page.)

The number of metro areas benefiting from higher concentrations of these skilled occupations is shrinking. In 1980, advanced industries made up at least 10 percent of the workforce in 59 of the 100 largest metro areas. By 2013, this figure had dropped to just 23 metro areas, according to the Brookings study.

Drag the slider below to compare metro areas' advanced industry job totals in 2013 (on the right) to 1980 employment figures (on the left). Larger markers represent metro areas where advanced industries account for higher shares of total employment.




Larger icons indicate advanced industries account for higher shares of total jobs.



1980 Advanced Industry Employment
2013 Advanced Industry Employment