Forbes ranks New Orleans #3 for Information Technology Jobs

In a recent Forbes article, “The Cities Winning the Battle for Information Jobs,” author and researcher Joel Kotkin ranks Greater New Orleans as #3 in the USA, behind only technology heavyweights Silicon Valley and San Francisco. In the article, he states “Perhaps the most dramatic player is third-place New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, where information employment is up 28% since 2009”. The information sector in metro New Orleans “is very broad-based, including companies in digital effects, videogames, software development as well as a burgeoning film and television industry,” writes Kotkin. “The recent decision by General Electric to place its new technology center and its 300 new technology jobs in New Orleans is another sign of the Crescent City’s emergence as a viable information hub.” Additionally, when you consider the recent announcement of IBM in Baton Rouge, it is even more impressive for our super region in general.

Based on the employment growth in the IT sector over the long-term (2001-2012), mid-term (2007-2012) and the last two years, as well as momentum, the Top Ten Tech metros are:

1. Silicon Valley
2. San Francisco
3. New Orleans
4. Bostom
5. Austin
6. Atlanta
7. San Antonia
8. Raleigh
9. Phoenix
10. Nashville

You can read the entire article, including more detail on the methodology, here.