What does this measure?

The share of jobs in firms selling products containing new or leading–edge technology, expressed as a percentage of total jobs.

Why is this important?

New technology enables the development of new products and services, and helps firms produce more with less—less energy, less labor, fewer materials. The successful application of technology can spell the difference between business success and failure.

How are Cayuga and Seneca counties performing?

In 2010, 1.4% of jobs in Cayuga and 8.1% of jobs in Seneca were high–tech, compared to about 7% in the state (excluding NYC) and nearly 10% in the nation. Comparison counties with high rates were Onondaga (9%) and Ontario (5%), while Oswego had the lowest rate (less than 1%). The rate in Cayuga remained fairly steady since 2000, while the rate in Seneca has been falling since a high of 12% in 2002.

Notes about the data

Jobs are reported by county of work, not county of residence. The list of "high–tech" industries was developed by the Organization for Economic Co–operation and Development (OECD) based on research and development intensity of the products. As reported by the National Science Foundation, the list of industries includes fields such as pharmaceuticals, electrical equipment, motor vehicle manufacturing, petroleum refineries, online support and information services, data processing, and software publishing.